Congress dilemma in Bihar

With the elections for the Bihar Assembly slated for next month, the Congress is in a real dilemma.

- PANKAJ VOHRA

The grand old party has agreed to a poll arrangement with its senior partner, the RJD, in the state, but simultaneously is unable to withstand the pressure being applied by the family of Lalu Prasad Yadav on seat adjustments.

The problem of the Congress is that it has no organizational structure in Bihar, like in other areas, and the supreme irony is that though it has appointed six different people as the presidents of the state unit during the past decade, yet none of them has been able to declare their PCC bodies. The reason for their being scared is that if they constitute the PCC, those who have been left out would start demanding their resignation from day one.

On top of that, the general secretaries who have been made overall Prabharis of the state, also seem to be not fully equipped to deal with the complex situations that keep arising. There have been complaints against Krishna Alavaru, who has been handpicked by the high command and made the general secretary. The grouse of the party cadres, or whatever is left of them, is that he does not understand the nuances of politics and keeps introducing potential nominees who have had no role in the party in the past. His obsession with Dalit and OBC candidates has also irked many senior leaders.