Bihar Congress gets down to finding new president

Patna, Apr 15 (PTI) The beleaguered Congress' crisis-ridden Bihar unit is now saddled with finding a new president following the resignation of Madan Mohan Jha, who held the post for nearly four years.

Jha tendered his resignation in New Delhi on Thursday after a meeting with Rahul Gandhi. The state Congress is yet to come out with an official word on the development.

However, AICC national general secretary Tariq Anwar told PTI, "The need for having a new man to head the Bihar unit was being felt for quite some time. Jha, who is a senior leader, a former state minister and currently a member of the legislative council, has cleared the path by resigning gracefully." "The party high command is now vetting the names of prospective candidates for the new state president. A final decision will be taken in due course," said the former Union minister.

Anwar did not divulge any names under consideration, but the Sadaqat Ashram here, which has been the state Congress headquarters since before Independence, resembles a beehive, buzzing with speculations about who will fit the bill.

Party sources claiming to be in the know of things asserted that the new state Congress chief will be either a Muslim or a Dalit or someone from the upper castes, preferably a Bhumihar.

This would be in line with the party's strategy to revive itself in a state where it has come to be seen as a spent force and now finds itself isolated following the short shrift given by old ally RJD, which has been blaming it for the Grand Alliance's failure to win the 2020 assembly polls despite performing better than expectations.

The five-party alliance had fallen short of the majority by less than 20 seats. The Congress, its second largest constituent, had contested 70 seats but could win fewer than 20.

Party sources claim that if Rahul Gandhi has his way, Kanhaiya Kumar might arrive on the scene as a wild card entry. The former JNU student union president, who joined the party quitting CPI less than a year ago, could carry forward the experiment of infusing fresh blood which is underway in the Gujarat unit headed by Patidar movement leader Hardik Patel.

Incidentally, the RJD's dumping of the Congress is also said to be linked to the induction of Kanhaiya, who is seen as a potential rival to Tejashwi Yadav, since both are roughly of the same age and the former is a superior orator though the latter has obvious advantages in terms of pedigree.

Kanhaiya is a Bhumihar, and hails from a lower middle-class family who can electrify youths dissatisfied with the BJP-led NDA. There are, however, more experienced caste-men also in the race. Prominent among them is Shyam Sundar Singh Dheeraj, currently a working president of the state Congress. Another prospective candidate is Ajeet Sharma, the legislature party leader, party sources said.

Yet another upper-caste leader whose name is doing the rounds is Vijay Shankar Dubey, a respected Brahmin leader and one of the most articulate members of the state assembly.

The most prominent Dalit name is that of former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. If chosen, she might well become the first woman to head the Bihar Congress. Other Dalit leaders who might be considered are MLA Rajesh Kumar and former legislature party leader Ashok Ram.

Among Muslims whose names might be under consideration is Shakil Ahmed Khan, who is an MLA and a national secretary.