New Delhi: With the high-octane battle for Bihar inching closer, the Congress has initiated dialogue to finalise candidates. The party had already held two meetings of the Screening Committee, with sources indicating that at least 36 seats have been discussed in detail and all sitting MLAs may be fielded again.
The first meeting of the Screening Committee was held on Friday under the chairmanship of Ajay Maken and attended by committee members and Bihar Congress leadership, including state in charge Krishna Allavaru, state unit chief Rajesh Ram, and CLP leaders Madan Mohan Jha and Shakeel Ahmed Khan, among others.
The meeting lasted over 10 hours, during which Screening Committee members first dis cussed with state leaders and then held detailed one-to-one sessions with all the party MPs of the state.
Another meeting of the Screening Committee was convened on Saturday, lasting over five hours. Sources within the party indicated that although Congress had won 19 seats in the last Assembly polls while contesting 70 seats, the party is considering fielding all 17 remaining MLAs in the state. Some MLAs might also be fielded from constituencies other than the ones they contested in the last polls.
Another source added that during the first meeting, at least 36 names were discussed based on winnability factors, while the remaining 30 seats were deliberated in the second meeting.
Speaking to The Sunday Guardian, Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram said, “We had detailed meetings on both days to decide on the candidates. The marathon discussions show that Congress is very serious about the elections and is evaluating all seats after careful consideration.” He, however, refused to disclose the exact number of seats discussed.
Bihar Legislative Assembly CLP leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan said that all candidates will be finalised in the next two to three meetings. When asked about growing rebellion in Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD, Khan dismissed such claims, saying everything is fine. On why Congress has not declared RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav as the Chief Ministerial face of the alliance, he stated, “These are resolved issues. When we sit for discussions, all matters are sorted.”
Sources said that while Congress is planning to contest 60–62 seats after accommodating new alliance partners, it will discuss names for at least 76 seats, as deliberated in the first Pradesh Election Committee meeting in Patna.
On RJD leader Suresh Paswan demanding to contest from Kutumba Assembly seat, represented by him, Rajesh Ram commented that all are free to voice their demands in a democracy. He added that both Congress and RJD respect democracy, and the final decision will be taken by senior leadership.
Earlier sources had indicated that the seat-sharing deal of the Mahagatbandhan would be finalised by the first week of October, with all alliance members accommodating new partners from their quota seats.
The extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, planned in Patna on September 24 at Sadakat Ashram, has also given fresh hope to the party. This follows the Rahul Gandhi-led Voter Adhikar Yatra, helping maintain momentum in this politically sensitive state.
The Election Commission has yet to announce the dates for Bihar elections. The Mahagatband hanor Grand Alliance, comprising Congress, RJD, Left parties, and VIP, is preparing to wrest power from the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government.
