Bihar PCC chief Ashok Choudhary appears to be on his way out under the “one man-one post” principle being the minister in the Nitish Kumar government.
Bihar PCC chief Ashok Choudhary appears to be on his way out under the “one man-one post” principle being the minister in the Nitish Kumar government. Upper caste leaders in the state Congress are lobbying hard for the post while claiming that these castes have not deserted the “grand old party “ completely since 1991.
If backward castes and dalits are with the RJD and the JD(U), the minorities are always with a party or a front which defeats the BJP.
But if the Congress too plays the dalit and backward castes line, the majority of the upper castes would have no choice but to go with the BJP. This will not be good for the Congress in the long run, they fear.
Significantly, poll strategist Prashant Kishor, engaged by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, too is pleading the same line.
He wants the Congress to attract Brah-mins and name a Brahmin leader as the Uttar Pradesh Congress chief.
In Bihar, the upper castes are said to be around 12 per cent.
If the Sonia Gandhi-led party keeps them with itself, it could weaken the BJP, which has also been playing the dalit, OBC card in the state.
“The Congress will have to make a strategic change in states where elections are fought on caste and caste combinations rather than development or communal polarisation,” a Bihar Congress leader said, adding that copying the JD(U), the RJD or other parties will never help the Congress become politically relevant in Bihar.
The Congress was a major force when it was led by heavyweights like Jagannath Mishra, Bhagwat Jha Azad, Bindeshwari Dubey and Kedar Pandey, but attempts to isolate the upper castes have upset the electoral arithmetic of the Congress, insiders pointed out.
Among the upper castes Mr Premchan Mishra,Mr Brajesh Pandey,mr Anil Sharma,Mr Akhilesh Singh,Mr Kishor Kumar Jha are aspiring for the post of Bihar Congress chief.
While Mr Premchand Mishra lost the election and had earlier joined the Samata Party,Mr Brajesh Pandey is close to the PCC chief Ashok Choudhary and lacks elective merit,insider claimed.
Loyalty to the leadership and the party, organising capacity should be taken into consideration while making the appointment,they said. Mr Rahul Gandhdi has been insisting on de-centralisation in the party. If the party prefers performance of aspirants and their commitment then the picture in Bihar could change,they said.
