Already grappling with factionalism in several State units, trouble seems to be brewing for Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ashok Chaudhary as 26 District Congress Committee (DCC) chiefs from the State met party president Sonia Gandhi demanding his removal. The DCC chiefs also complained about the style of functioning of the AICC General Secretary CP Joshi, who is the in-charge of party affairs for Bihar.
The discontent against Chaudhary came to the fore after the party fared poorly in the recent lok Sabha polls in the crucial State. Congress managed to win only two out of the 40 parliamentary seats in Bihar. The DCC chiefs told Sonia that Congress’ position has been going from bad to worse in Bihar under Chaudhary and sought urgent measures for rectifying the situation.
leaders from Bihar have long been campaigning against Chaudhary saying he had failed in uniting the factions and had done little to rebuild the organisation. These leaders also opposed the decision to align with RJD in the lok Sabha election, arguing that joining hands with Nitish Kumar was still a better option.
Chaudhary, a Dalit, was handpicked by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to rebuild the organisation in the State but thereafter most leaders from Bihar kept informing Sonia and him in the recent past about the need for a change. The party, which joined the RJD-JDU alliance for the bypolls in 10 Assembly byelections, could now give the reins of the State unit to an upper caste leader to build its fortunes.
Given the new phase of political realignment between lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar, the Congress is reviewing its politics in Bihar where it has been struggling for an identity for the past two decades. In the lok Sabha elections, the BJP polled an impressive 29.4 per cent votes but the combined vote share of the RJD, JD(U) and the Congress touched 45 per cent, creating the possibility of a big secular front ahead of the next assembly polls in the state.
The detractors of the PCC chief have also sought an appointment with Rahul. Assembly elections in Bihar are scheduled in November next year. The party is already facing severe differences among its younger and older generation. Differences cropped up in Haryana and Maharashtra, where the assembly polls were conducted on Wednesday. Besides, the party is also facing factionalism in Rajasthan, Assam and Uttarakhand.