For Cong, it’s more time to get into shape

Its state organisation in a bad shape, the Congress is happy having got six months to face Assembly polls in Bihar. CWC member Harikesh Baha...

Its state organisation in a bad shape, the Congress is happy having got six months to face Assembly polls in Bihar. CWC member Harikesh Bahadur, in charge of the state, told The Indian Express,‘‘We welcome the EC’s decision to hold elections in October-November.’’

On the face of it, the Congress had cited monsoons against earlier polls but it actually wanted time to restore its state unit. After having secured the resignation of Ram Jatan Sinha as state chief a month ago, the high command is unable to make up its mind on his successor.

Sources said party units are defunct in at least 10 districts including Patna rural, Lakhisarai and Sheikhpura. What has made the selection of the new state chief tougher is the panel of as many as 35 names for choosing the next state president passed on to the high command by Bahadur. Already under attack for the failure of party’s election strategy in both Bihar and Jharkhand, Bahadur has left it to the high command to make its choice from sub-panels from every important community.

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From the Brahmin community, the list has former Union minister K.K.Tewari, former PCC president Chandan Bagchi and leader of the legislature in the outgoing Assembly Vijay Shankar Dube. The Muslims on the panel include ex-PCC chief and Union Minister of State Shakeel Ahmed, former PCC chief Rafiq Alam and AICC secretary Shakeel-uz-Zaman Ansari. Former minister Ashok Ram, ex-MP Ram Sarup Ram and woman leader Jyoti, MLC are amongst the Dalit probables while Manorama Singh, widow of former CM Chandra Shekhar Singh, Nikhil Kumar and former minister Karneshwar Singh are on the Rajput sub-panel.

The Bhumihars include former minister Veena Shahi, daughter-in-law of L P Shahi. Speaker Sadanand Singh (Kurmi) and ex-MPs D P Yadav and Ram Shreshtha Khidhar figure in the OBC panel.

Given the inevitability of a poll-pact with RJD leader Laloo Prasad Yadav. the Congress has to pick up someone who shares a good rapport with him and has the capacity to extract more seats from him.