Formation of district, state level committees in Bihar suffers setback

According to the people familiar with the matter, the delay in the formation of committees, considered important for organisational set-up, could be attributed to many factors, including party RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s ailment and later, the legal troubles of his and family members.

Even as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress, the mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) government in Bihar, are gearing up for next year’s parliamentary polls, the delay in the formation of state and district committees in the two parties has come as a dampener for leaders who are waiting to gain a spot in such bodies.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar (PTI Photo)

RJD’s state and district committees was scheduled to be formed soon after the re-election of state president Jagdanand Singh in September end after organisational polls.

According to the people familiar with the matter, the delay in the formation of committees, considered important for organisational set-up, could be attributed to many factors, including party RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s ailment and later, the legal troubles of his and family members, including deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.

“The party’s [RJD] top leaders should have set up the committees much earlier. It’s been delayed for last six months. One reason is that RJD chief’s ailment and later legal troubles which has also kept deputy CM also busy for last few months,” said a senior RJD leader.

In Congress too, the process is delayed despite the election of the state president in December 2022. According to the people, the state and the district Congress committees should have been formed in the last couple of months.

Meanwhile, giving certainty that the committees will be formed soon, Kaukab Quadri, former state president, Congress said, “The state president has already talked about it in a meeting. The process is on.”

Recently, in a state Congress meeting, state president Akhilesh Singh raised the issue of the formation of such committees as the earliest.

RJD’s state spokesperson Chittaranjan Gagan said that the formation of committees got delayed due to various reasons and assured that it will be done soon.

“There has been delay because of certain technical reasons,” Gagan said, adding that the morale of the party’s rank and file was high and they would be accommodated in new committees.