Congress plans organisational polls in Bihar
By IANSMonday, January 10, 2011
NEW DELHI - Keen to put its house in order in Bihar following its debacle in the assembly polls, the Congresss is planning to soon start the process of organisational elections in the state.
Bihar Congress leaders said chairman of party’s Central Election Authority (CEA) Oscar Fernandes has called state party president Mehboob Ali Kaiser for consultations and the process of elections could start by the end of this month.
The party is keen to start the process of organisational elections. It could start by the end of this month, Ashok Kumar, former leader of the Congress legislative party, told IANS.
He said state party leaders, including Kaiser, gave an account of the Congress’ performance in the assembly polls to party president Sonia Gandhi during the party’s plenary last month.
Ashok Kumar said that the party paid for its earlier association with Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
People were not against Congress. They were against Lalu Prasad. They also felt that the Congress will not be able to form the government on its own, he said.
Answering queries, Ashok Kumar said that weakening of the RJD will help the Congress gain opposition space in the state.
The Congress won only four seats in the 243 member assembly. Following the debacle, Kaiser had offered to resign, ownning moral responsibility for the defeat.
Bihar was among the few states where Congress did not go through the process of organisational elections last year.
