Five of nine Congress candidates in Bihar 'borrowed players'

PATNA: Once famous for winning almost 70 to 90%

Lok Sabha

seats in Bihar, Congress has today been reduced to the status of depending on “borrowed players” to win the general election in the state. Five of the nine candidates of Congress would be “borrowed players” in this election.

Congress has been allotted nine of total 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar as part of seat sharing among the allies of the opposition’s Grand Alliance. Addressing a joint press conference of the partners here on Friday, RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav formally announced the name of Congress candidates for seven out of its nine seats.

As per the announcement, former NCP leader Tariq Anwar will contest from Katihar, former speaker Meira Kumar from Sasaram, former BJP MP Uday Singh alias Pappu Singh from Purnia, don and JD(U)’s former MLA

Anant Kumar Singh

’s wife Nilam Devi from Munger, MLA Mohammad Javed from

Kishanganj

, MLA Ashok Kumar from Samastipur and sitting MP Ranjit Ranjan from Supaul.

The candidates for two seats –Patna Sahib and Valmikinagar- could not be announced. Sources in the Congress said, candidate for Patna Sahib seat could not be announced mainly because its sitting BJP MP Shatrughasn Sinha is yet to formally join the Congress. Sinha is willing to contest from Patna Sahib as Congress nominee.

“The sitting BJP MP from

Darbhanga

and cricketer-turned-politician Kirti Azad, who recently joined the Congress, earlier wanted to contest from his traditional Darbhanga seat. But as per seat sharing pact among the GA partners, Darbhanga seat was allotted to the RJD and its senior leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui will contest from there. Azad has now been asked to make his mind to contest from Valmikinagar as Congress candidate. If he refuses Congress will field another candidate from there,” a senior Congress leader told TOI on Friday.

Insiders in the Congress said, Shatru and Kirti would most probably be the party’s candidates from Patna Sahib and Valmikinagar. Once the name of these two famous persons are formally announced as Congress candidate, the party’s five of total nine candidates in Bihar would be “borrowed players.”

Of the five, Shatru, Kirti and Uday Singh came from the BJP and Tariq from the NCP. Nilam Devi’s husband Anant Kumar Singh earlier used to be an MLA of JD(U) from Mokama. In 2015, he won the assembly election as independent candidate after the JD(U) denied him the party symbol.

Prior to 1989 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress used to win 70 to 90% Lok Sabha seats in undivided Bihar comprising the present day Bihar and Jharkhand. In 1984 general election, the party had won 48 (almost 90%), out of total 54 Lok Sabha seats in undivided Bihar.

After bifurcation in 2000, 40 Lok Sabha seats remained in Bihar while rest 14 seats went to Jharkhand.