Even though the Congress is yet to announce its decision to join the Nitish Kumar Government in Bihar, the party has started making big plans for expansion in the State. A week after their impressive performance in State polls, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi met Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ashok Choudhari, and CP Joshi, AICC general secretary in-charge of Bihar to review the results and discuss ways of expanding party’s mass base.
Congress has garnered 27 seats in the Grand Alliance that in all got 178 seats with RJD winning 80 and JD-U getting 71. During the meeting on Friday that lasted about 45 minutes, Rahul had a seat-wise review of party’s performance and he inquired in detail about the gains made by the Congress in Bihar. While a comprehensive review will take place later, sources said Rahul was concerned why party lost some seats like Govindganj, Ramnagar, Pranpur and Valmikinagar, where winnability was high.
Choudhari, who met Rahul, said the party VP played an important role in Congress’s performance in Bihar as he not only brought JD-U and RJD to one table and backed Nitish Kumar as the CM face of the alliance, but also gave the State unit a free hand in deciding the party matters including selecting candidates. “Rahulji played an important role in scripting BJP’s defeat in Bihar. During our meeting we requested him to take charge of the party now,” Chaudhari said.
Rahul is expected to meet the 27 newly elected MlAs and five MlCs from Bihar on November 19. Nitish Kumar is expected to swear in as the Bihar Chief Minister on November 20. Besides that of Chief Minister, there are 35 more berths to be shared, which makes it one portfolio for five seats each. Rahul is expected to witness the swearing-in ceremony in Patna.
“Whether we are in Government or not, one thing is sure that we are going to fulfill all the commitments made to the people of Bihar. There will be no-nonsense approach towards goondagardi and corruption,” Chaudhari told The Pioneer when asked about the concerns of return of goondaraj that once ruled Bihar during RJD chief lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure as Chief Minister. “All these stories are being spread by the BJP. Nitish Kumar is a capable leader and he is capable of controlling law and order,” Chaudhari said
According to Choudhari, the Congress workers’ morale is on a high after its performance in Bihar elections and the party is now looking at expanding its mass base. “The party workers are very happy that their hard work has paid well and their morale is on a high. We want to utilise this enthusiasm to expand our selves,” said Choudhari. The immediate target is to do well in the 2019 lok Sabha elections where at present it has only two seats (Kishanganj and Supaul) out of 40 from the State.
Congress claims that already leaders from the BJP and its allies are queuing up to switch over loyalties to Grand Alliance. “lot of people from the BJP and its ally parties are approaching us. There will be a lot of churning within these parties after the poll debacle and in the next three months we will see a lot of movement,” Chaudhari said.