Will new Cong strategy work?

Navendu Sharma, TNN, Oct 10, 2010

PATNA: In the parliamentary elections held last year, Congress had managed to win only two Lok Sabha seats out of 40 in Bihar. Yet, it had some reason to take solace as the party had gained substantial vote share.

Against 4 and 6 percent vote share in the two Bihar assembly polls held in 2005, the party had reportedly polled 10 percent votes in the Lok Sabha polls in the state. This percentage went up to approximately 15% in the bypolls held for the 18 assembly seats last year. In the process, the party wrested two seats from the JD(U).

Coupled with the party's impressive show in UP in the parliamentary elections, this gave the impression that, led from the front by Rahul Gandhi, the party is in a resurgent mode. By regaining the ground that it had ceded to regional parties over the years, Congress hoped to consolidate its grip on Delhi.

But that was in 2009. The question uppermost in Congressmen's minds is whether the party will continue to improve upon its performance in the approaching Bihar assembly elections? The party changed horses midstream in late July this year. Not only is a new team at the helm in the state unit, even at the national level there are new in charges for the state. Party strategists are said to have effected a change in their strategy. Will this pay dividend to the party?

The party has witnessed furore over the alleged partisan and slipshod distribution of tickets. Likes of Anirudh Prasad alias Sadhu Yadav the saala of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, Ranjeet Ranjan and Lovely Anand, wives of jailed ex-MPs Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav and Anand Mohan, respectively, have not only been fielded but have wielded considerable influence in distribution of tickets. Several turncoats have been rewarded with nomination. "This has not gone down well with party workers and masses as this is negation of Rahul Gandhi's initiatives to rejuvenate the party," rued a party leader.

According to party sources, this shift in strategy began after AICC secretary Sardar Iqbal Singh, the then in charge, Bihar, was appointed governor. First Jagdish Tytler and then Mukul Wasnik were appointed in charge of the state. The then BPCC president, Anil Kumar Sharma, and working president Samir Kumar Singh started feeling ignored. Tainted leaders became important in the party. In September, when Rahul Gandhi addressed a public meeting in Saharsa, he was flanked by Ranjeet Ranjan and Lovely Anand.

On July 31 this year, Sharma and Singh were removed from their posts. Chaudhary Mehboob Ali Qaiser was appointed the state unit chief. Qaiser is a gentleman, but he is not a mass leader.

Past working president of BPCC, Samir Kumar Singh, a third-generation Congressman who has never flirted with any other party a rarity these days was neither included in the state election committee nor otherwise consulted in ticket distribution. Instead, 10 party tickets were distributed on the recommendation of Ranjeet Ranjan, who joined the party only last year. The party is now said to be trying to carve out a vote bank of Dalits, Muslims and backwards. Muslim votes may also get split. "Not actively wooing the forward castes may turn out to be a mistake for the party," said a party leader who did not wish to be quoted.

Politicians with criminal background in Bihar fray

Patna, October 10, 2010
Hindustan Times
Almost all political parties in Bihar have fielded candidates with criminal background in the ensuing Assembly elections with the ruling JD(U) and BJP topping the list with 72 such nominees. National Election Watch, an NGO, says according to the affidavit filed by candidates for the six-phased elections, BJP has fielded 41 'tainted' candidates, while JD(U) has 31 such nominees in the fray.

Ramvilas Paswan's LJP has 13 candidates, who according to their affidavits, have been chargesheeted in criminal cases.

The affidavits of 57 RJD candidates show that the party has fieled 22 who have criminal cases pending against them, the NGO said.

Some of the candidates face charges of murder, kidnapping, extortion and loot.

LJP has fielded Rama Singh, who faces over a dozen criminal charges including murder and extortion, from Mahnar in Vaishali district, besides Shankar Singh at Rupauli.

The LJP candidate from Araria Zakir Hussain also faces criminal cases.

RJD has fielded candidates with criminal antecedents, including Md Anwarul Haque (Bajpaati), Lalit Kumar Yadav (Darbhanga Rural), Md Israil (Kanti), Samrat Choudhary alias Rakesh Kumar (Parbatta), Prahalad Yadav (Surajgarha), Dr Ramanand Yadav (Fatua), Vijay Prakash (Jamui).

It has also fielded Surendra Prasad Yadav from a constituency in Gaya. He is known as 'Magadh Samrat' for his muscle power in the Maoist-affected Magadh division comprising Gaya, Aurangabad, Jehanabad, Nawada and Arwal districts.

The RJD, which has nine candidates facing criminal cases in its first list of 65, has fielded Kunti Devi, wife of alleged muscleman Rajendra Yadav, to contest from Atri (Gaya).

The BJP has given ticket to sitting Shahpur MLA Munni Devi whose husband Bhuvar Ojha and brother-in-law Vimeshwar face criminal cases. Others include Shakuni Choudhary (Tarapur), Iliyas Hussain (Dehri).

Muslims, Hindus build temple together in Bihar

New Delhi: One part of India has remain untouched by the verdict on Ayodhya. Muslims in a village in Bihar are busy building a temple for their Hindus neighbours - setting a concrete example of real coexistence.

While the nation is still holding back its breath - the post Ayodhya verdict, a remote village in Bihar is celebrating. Muslims in Bachawara village of Begusarai district are busy constructing a temple these days. The land has been donated by a Muslim landlord to construct a Shiva temple, the money is being raised by fellow Muslims & they are even volunteering physically.

The village has pre-dominant Muslim population and they are building a temple in reciprocation to one of the Mazar located there, which has been built by Ganga Chaudhary, a Hindu farmer.

Even post Ayodhya verdict, the construction of temple continued with the same zeal.

Unfazed by the bitterness over mandir-maszid dispute, these villagers have proved by their act, that for them humanity is the only religion, whether they worship in temples or offer namaz in mosque".

"We have accepted the verdict and celebrated with both Hindus and Muslims," said a villager, Salauddin Ansari.

These villagers are untouched by distrust and hatred elsewhere and earning livelihood out of making biri is all that matters to them.

"Both Hindus and Muslims stay together here," said another villager Veena Devi.

These faceless and ordinary folks are displaying what could not be practiced by so called baton bearers of both the religion.

Prabhakar Kumar , CNN-IBN
Posted on Oct 03, 2010 at 08:49 | Updated Oct 03, 2010 at 11:53

CPI(ML) releases election manifesto for Bihar assembly polls

CPI-ML (Liberation) general secretary Deepankar Bhattacharya today released party's election manifesto with an appeal to the voters to end the "reign of loot and rehetoric-- change the face of Bihar through land reforms."

The party is contesting the upcoming six-phase assembly elections on seat sharing arrangements with two other major Left parties", Communist Party of India and the CPI(M), on majority of the 243 assembly seats but there would friendly contest among them on more than 30 seats.

Releasing the manifesto, Bhattacharya said "Its a welcome sign that Left forces in Bihar are now showing an increasing inclination for united struggles- rejecting the ruinous course of alliances with the rulers, Left ranks are getting united to reclaim the fighting legacy of the Left.

He said to strengthen the politics of change and justice, Bihar requires a powerful unity of Left and democratic forces and appealed to all sincere socialists and democratic activists of diverse trends to come together and join hands with the CPI(ML) and the Left as a whole to take Bihar forward towards "land reforms and genuine welfare of the people and defeat the forces of corruption, nepotism, communalism, feudal reaction and autocracy.

PTI / Sunday, October 3, 2010 16:06 IST

URL of the article: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_cpiml-releases-election-manifesto-for-bihar-assembly-polls_1447042-all