Uphill task for new state Cong chief to keep party united

Patna: Newly appointed Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar faces the uphill task of keeping the party united with the assembly elections just seven months away, political analysts said.
Rajesh, a two-time MLA from Kutumba (reserved) seat in Aurangabad, sought the cooperation of his predecessor, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, on Thursday. However, Singh's son, Aakash Kumar Singh, voiced his disappointment with the decision, quoting renowned Hindi poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar on a social media platform: "Jab nash manuj par chata hai pehle vivek mar jata hai" (When doom falls upon someone, wisdom is the first casualty).
Despite this, senior Congress leader Kaukab Quadri dismissed suggestions of factionalism. "Congressmen always follow the decisions taken by the party's central leadership," he said.
In the 2020 assembly elections, Congress contested 70 seats in alliance with the RJD, winning 19. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, it secured only three seats in Bihar. Sources said the RJD, which emerged as the largest party but fell 12 seats short of a majority in the 243-member assembly, was reluctant to allocate 70 seats to Congress this time.
A senior Congress functionary, speaking anonymously, said the party might consider contesting alone, as it did in Haryana and Delhi. "But Congress lacks grassroots workers and is directionless in Bihar. Its decisions are inadvertently helping the BJP by weakening the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan. The leadership is straying from traditional principles and walking into the BJP's trap," he said, adding that Singh, seen as close to RJD chief Lalu Prasad, was replaced to form a new team capable of standing independently.
Singh, who met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi, acknowledged on Thursday that he had differences with the party's new AICC Bihar in charge, Krishna Allavaru, over the timing of the statewide ‘Palayan roko, rozgar do (Stop migration, give jobs) padyatra led by Kanhaiya Kumar, head of Congress's student wing NSUI. "Allavaru, perhaps, wanted a new state president because I opposed the padyatra during Ramzan," Singh said.
Another Congress neta criticised the decision-making process, arguing that Bihar is not JNU and that Allavaru needs to first understand the state's demography and geography. "By appointing Rajesh, a Ravidas leader with just 2% caste votes among Bihar's 20% dalit population, Congress is making a delayed attempt to reclaim dalit support. Most dalits are now aligned with either the RJD under Lalu or the JD(U) led by CM Nitish Kumar. I am unsure what message the party is trying to send to voters," he said.
Both Allavaru and Rajesh have said that Congress is not a "B-team" of any party in Bihar and aims to secure 23-24% of the vote share. The elevation of Kanhaiya is seen as an attempt to strengthen the party's standing against the RJD and its leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, RJD had opposed Kanhaiya in Begusarai, fielding its own candidate, which ultimately helped the BJP's Giriraj Singh win.
A senior Congress functionary recalled how the party's decline in Bihar began in the 1980s when internal sabotage led to electoral losses. "Things have not changed and Allavaru knows it. That's why he has made it clear that ‘darbari' (courtier) leaders will not be given preference in party matters," he said.