Congress struggles in Bihar with leadership disconnect, defections thus losing ground ahead of Assembly polls.
New Delhi: The Congress party in Bihar, functioning without an executive body, is facing the risk of mass defections as it is losing its grip on the electorate. The party’s failure to focus on strengthening its cadre has led to a loss of trust in the central leadership.
According to several Congress leaders, the party has been left to navigate its own course in the state, as the state leadership is completely disconnected with the party’s ground realities.
A senior Congress leader said, “The top two leaders, in-charge Mohan Prakash and state unit president Akhilesh Prasad Singh, are rarely available for party activities. They hardly assess the situation on the ground or seek feedback from the party leaders. The Congress party in Bihar is essentially defunct. They have only been able to form a Political Affairs Committee which is also namesake, but it’s a namesake body with no practical work.”
According to several leaders, after contesting on around 70 Assembly segments in an alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in 2020 Assembly elections, the Congress should have worked on the ground, and strengthened key areas to prepare itself for seeking bigger chunk of seats in the alliance for the 2025 Assembly elections. However, according to a top leader associated with the state affairs, the Congress party had agreed to contest fewer assembly seats in the 2025 Assembly elections, while negotiating with the RJD for the Lok Sabha seat sharing pact in 2024. Bihar has a total of 243 Assembly seats.
The Congress’s dismal performance in the 2020 elections, where it secured only 19 out of 70 contested seats, led to accusations from the RJD that Congress was the weak link in the alliance, preventing the formation of a state government. Now, the party is left with just 17 legislators, with two recently defecting to the BJP.
Another Congress leader said, “There is a lack of political activism in the state. The problem lies in Delhi. No tasks have been delegated to the state leaders. There is a complete lack of seriousness towards Bihar from the central leadership in Delhi.”
Some experts suggest that the Gandhis’ close relationship with Lalu Yadav may be influencing their approach, with the Congress leadership seemingly giving the RJD leeway to expand its influence in Bihar at their expense. One analyst speculated that the Gandhis may be hesitant to make moves that could disrupt Lalu’s position, fearing that such actions could damage the alliance with RJD.”
A political analyst said, “When a state unit president works for Lalu Yadav, and Congress takes no action, it’s clear the Gandhis have gifted Bihar to the RJD. The lack of engagement with the state leaders or formation of a Pradesh Committee indicates Congress’s reluctance to challenge RJD’s in the state. “
A political analyst said, “It is not that easy to win the elections with BJP in the race. The BJP, with its powerful organisation, has a robust feedback system and stays attuned to the changing political dynamics in Bihar. If Nitish Kumar contests the election with the NDA, they are likely to win easily. The Congress doesn’t seem to be doing anything on ground. Their cadre is scattered, and if this continues, they might be able to win seats in single digits only. The Congress party has left such a large state on the behest of a leader (state unit president Akhilesh Prasad Singh) who does not care about the party. He is more concerned with Lalu’s instructions, than with what his own high command wants.”