After the crushing defeat in the Bihar assembly elections, the demand within the state Congress to come out of the ‘India’ alliance has started gaining momentum. Many senior leaders of the party say that if Congress contests the elections on its own, both its organization and mass base will be strengthened and Rahul Gandhi’s leadership will get more meaningful support. Senior state Congress leader Kishore Kumar Jha said that the party should now separate from the ‘India’ alliance.

Kishore Kumar Jha said, “Congress will become stronger in Bihar and the country only by fighting outside the India alliance. Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra and Voter Adhikar Yatra have brought a positive change in his image. Trust and acceptance towards him has increased among the common people.”

Voice also raised in review meeting of election results

According to sources, in the meeting called to review the election results at Sadaqat Ashram on Monday (01 December), voices of separation from the Grand Alliance were also raised. Former president of Congress Women’s Department, Sarwat Jahan Fatima said that if the party had contested the elections alone, the results could have been better. Fatima had resigned alleging ‘inadequate representation’ of women in ticket distribution.

Congress rejected the allegations of Mangani Lal Mandal

Fatima rejected the allegation of RJD state president Mangani Lal Mandal that the ‘India’ alliance was defeated due to the weak performance of the Congress. He said, “There is no such thing as ‘friendly fight’ in elections. A fight is a fight. Alliances and alliances cannot go together.”

‘Tejashwi Yadav responsible for the defeat of the alliance’

Patna District Congress Committee President Shashi Ranjan also blamed RJD for the defeat and said, “Tejashwi Yadav is responsible for the defeat of the alliance.” During the Bihar Assembly elections, there was a ‘friendly fight’ on 11 seats within the Grand Alliance, in which Congress and RJD were in the fray against each other at many places. On some seats, candidates from other constituent parties of the Grand Alliance were standing in front of the Congress.

Image of ‘Jungle Raj’ has direct impact on Congress votes.

Aurangabad District Congress Committee President Mahendra Yadav said Tejashwi Yadav’s “extreme eagerness as a chief ministerial contender” also harmed the alliance. He claimed that NDA effectively boosted the image of ‘Jungle Raj’, which had a direct impact on Congress votes.

‘Rajesh Ram was defeated as part of a conspiracy’

Alleging lack of coordination among the alliance partners, he said that Bihar Congress President Rajesh Ram was defeated from Kutumba seat as part of a conspiracy. Former Congress MLA Amarnath Tiwari has also advised the party to contest elections alone in Bihar. He recently wrote a letter to Rahul Gandhi saying that Congress should strengthen its organization by coming out of the ‘India’ alliance.