Lok Sabha elections 2019: Delay in seat sharing deal holds up entry of defectors to Congress

The Congress may not have had a good showing in Bihar in the Lok Sabha elections in the past three decades, but this time things on the ground seem to be far different.

The Congress may not have had a good showing in Bihar in the Lok Sabha elections in the past three decades, but this time things on the ground seem to be far different.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi. (Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO)

The party, which has suffered losses due to defecting candidates in the previous elections, is unlikely to face this issue in the coming elections. Not because it does not have candidates, but because it is finding it difficult to enrol new members into its fold due to the delay in the mahagathbandhan’s seat sharing deal.

There is no dearth of strong leaders from different parties who want to join the party, but they want to do so with the guaratantee that they will be given a Congress ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections.

That is a guarantee that the party cannot give at the moment considering that the mahagathbandhan’s seat sharing deal hasn’t been finalised as yet. However, the Congress has identified the candidates for the constituencies that are likely to fall into its kitty in the seat sharing deal.

In the 2014 elections, the Congress, in an alliance with the RJD and NCP, had got 12 seats out of 40 to contest on. But the party had found it very difficult to put together 12 strong candidates for the seats.

This time around the party has about one and a half dozen strong names. But as against the number of strong candidates in its pool of waiting candidates, the Congress is likely to get barely 10-11 seats in the mahagathbandhan.

In such a situation, it is unable to bring new candidates on board, even though some of the names have been in the limelight for some time and stand a strong chance of winning the elections.

Among those whose names are being discussed are actor and BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha, MP Arun Kumar and former MP Pappu Yadav among others. Former NCP leader Tariq Anwar and former BJP leader Kirti Azad have also joined the Congress. Tariq Anwar is likely to get a ticket from Katihar, chances of the party getting Kirti Azad’s Darbhanga Lok Sabha seat look slim.

If the Congress manages to give them tickets, many leaders are ready to join the party: Shatrughan Sinha, who has been constantly vocal against the BJP, has met leaders from various non-BJP parties and rumours of his joining the Congress are also doing the rounds. But Shatrughan’s joining the Congress will be possible only if the party gets the Patnasahib constituency to contest from.

Jahanabad MP Arun Kumar, another vocal critic of the BJP, has already left the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLS) and chances of his contesting the upcoming elections from the mahagathbandhan are high. Though the Congress leaders have been in touch with Arun Kumar, his entry to the party fold will be possibly only if the party gets the Nawada seat to contest from.

There is also talk of a senior Congress leader wishing to get his wife to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Motihari constituency. At the same time, he is keeping the option of another seat open.

Former MP Pappu Yadav, who quit the BJP, is keen to fight on a Congress ticket this time. But the RJD camp’s displeasure with him is likely to put a spoke in his chances. Yadav’s name has cropped up time and again in discussions for the Purnea seat and he is also keen to contest from the seat but the suspense over which party in the mahagathbandhan will get the constituency is holding up the matter of Yadav’s entry to Congress.