Will fight Bihar polls as part of INDIA alliance to take collective decision on CM face Congress

    New Delhi, Mar 25 (PTI) Firming up its strategy for the upcoming Bihar assembly polls, the Congress on Tuesday said it would contest the election as part of the INDIA bloc and asserted that the alliance partners would take a "collective decision" on the chief ministerial face.
    Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge chaired a meeting at the Indira Gandhi Bhawan in Delhi that was attended by former party chief Rahul Gandhi, Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar and his predecessor Akhilesh Prasad Singh, AICC's Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, senior leaders Meira Kumar, Tariq Anwar, Shakeel Ahmed Khan and Mohammad Jawed, among others.
    "The winds of change have started blowing in Bihar. The people of Bihar are worried about development, social justice and their futures. There is tremendous anger among youngsters due to rigging in recruitment exams, paper leaks and unemployment," Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X after the meeting.
    "We will remove the current government and bring a government in Bihar that will bring inclusive development and protect the rights of all," he said.
    During the meeting, Kharge said, talks were held with senior leaders of Bihar and discussions took place in detail about strengthening the Congress and on preparations for the upcoming election.
    In a post on his WhatsApp channel, Gandhi said the Congress was dedicated to social harmony, equality and progress of the people in Bihar.
    "The state is ready to bring an era of change and justice," he said in the post.
    Briefing reporters after the meeting, AICC Bihar in-charge Allavaru said, "Leaders from Bihar put forward their viewpoint and a strategy was formed with unanimity. We will take on the BJP and its allies unitedly."
    Asked if the RJD's Tejashwi Yadav would be the chief ministerial face of the INDIA bloc, he said, "When the INDIA bloc will sit down, it will discuss seat-sharing, as well as who will be chief minister or not, whether to declare a chief ministerial face or not, a collective decision will be taken."
    "It will not be appropriate to comment on it now," he added.
    Responding to a question about Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor, he said, "Regarding Prashant Kishor, as you are saying that he is standing against the BJP, the decision regarding him will be discussed and taken by the INDIA bloc parties."
    State unit chief Rajesh Kumar said the focus of the meeting was on strengthening the organisation and framing of the poll campaign.
    He asserted that the Congress would contest the polls as part of the INDIA bloc formation.
    "We will have to be with the INDIA bloc to stop divisive forces," he said.
    Sources said a frank exchange of ideas took place as the state leaders apprised the leadership of the ground situation and pointed out the areas that need strengthening in the run-up to the polls.
    The meeting comes days after Rajesh Kumar, a Dalit leader, was named new president of its state unit.
    A second-term MLA from Kutumba in Aurangabad district, the 56-year-old replaced Rajya Sabha MP and former Union minister Singh.
    After meeting Rajesh Kumar, Kharge had said in a post in Hindi on X, "Bihar is craving for change. The youngsters of Bihar want employment, the people of Bihar are waiting with hope for real social justice."
    The succession of Singh, an upper-caste leader known to be close to the Congress' senior Bihar ally the RJD, by Rajesh Kumar marks a strategic shift on part of the grand old party, which is trying to aggressively reach out to the deprived sections of society, making use of Gandhi's twin planks of "Samvidhan bachao (save the Constitution)" and the demand for a nationwide caste survey.
    The change in the party's strategy was also felt in the appointment of Allavaru, a young leader who has handled campaign strategies in several states, as the new AICC Bihar in-charge.
    The RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, of which the Congress is a part, is looking to wrest power from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the assembly polls due later this year.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)