Congress forms committee to shortlist candidates for Bihar polls, Maken to head panel

New Delhi: Congress on Saturday announced a four-member Screening Committee headed by its national Treasurer Ajay Maken to shortlist candidates for upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, even as clarity on the number of seats the party will contest is yet to be achieved.

Beside Maken, MPs Praniti Shinde and Imran Pratapgarhi and Congress Secretary assigned to Maharashtra Kunal Choudhary are the members of the committee.

Congress Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru, state president Rajesh Kumar, Legislature Party Leader in Assembly Shakeel Ahmad Khan, Legislature Party Leader in Council Madan Mohan Jha and Congress Secretaries Devendra Yadav, Shahnawaz Alam and Sushil Kumar Passi are ex-officio members, according to a statement by Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal.

With polls likely to be held in October-November, the Congress has started its preparations for the elections.

However, the number of seats the parties in the I.N.D.I.A would be contesting is not finalised yet though there is an informal understanding that their list of candidates will highlight social diversity than before and rectify certain mistakes the bloc committed during the Lok Sabha election.

This time, Congress is unlikely to contest the number of seats it fought in 2020, as it could only win 19 out of the 70 seats with a strike rate of 27.14 per cent. This time, the grand old party may settle for around 50 seats, with a focus on winnable seats.

While CPI(ML)L had won 12 out of 19 seats last time, the party has staked claim for around 45 seats. Sources in the RJD, the alliance leader in Bihar, indicated that it may be difficult to accommodate that demand.

The entry of two new parties VIP and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party in the alliance has also to be factored in during seat distribution.

Ahead of the elections, the Congress had also changed its in-charge and appointed Allavuru. The Congress leadership also changed Akhilesh Prasad Singh, a Bhumihar, as Bihar president by appointing a Dalit, Rajesh Kumar, in his place.

The Congress is planning to provide more tickets to OBCs, SCs and minorities in the coming election, sources said.