Is Congress on the verge of split in Bihar?

The entire episode of ‘vertical split in Congress’ came to the fore when a former MLA claimed that at least 11 MLAs were on the verge of joining NDA

The Congress party on Wednesday vehemently denied that the grand old party in Bihar was on the verge of split and 11 MLAs, out of 19, were joining NDA.

“I have also seen the reports in a section of media that 11 out of 19 Congress MLAs are ready to cross over the fence and join the NDA. The claim has been made by a former Congress MLA. As leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), let me clarify that not one Congress MLA is deserting the grand old party,” said CLP leader and senior Congress MLA from Bhagalpur, Ajit Sharma.

Read | Relieve me of Bihar charge: Shaktisinh Gohil urges Congress high command

The entire episode of ‘vertical split in Congress’ came to the fore when a former MLA Bharat Singh claimed that much like 2017, when the then Bihar Congress president Ashok Choudhary and other Congress leaders joined the JD (U), at least 11 MLAs were on the verge of joining the NDA camp.

“This disgruntled group of Congress leaders, including the CLP leader Ajit Sharma and Bihar Congress president Madan Mohan Jha, will soon join the NDA,” Singh asserted.

He added that AICC general secretary and Bihar in-charge Shakti Sinh Gohil anticipated in advance about the imminent split and hence asked Sonia Gandhi to be relieved of Bihar affairs so that he was not blamed for the split in the party.

Notably, Sonia on Tuesday relieved Gohil from the charge of Bihar affairs and appointed Bhakt Charan Das, a senior leader from Odisha, as his replacement.

On Wednesday, when the news spread that most of the 19 Congress MLAs were willing to switch sides and were in touch with former Bihar Congress president Ashok Choudhary (who is now Education Minister in the Nitish Cabinet as well as JD (U) working president), the CLP leader Ajit Sharma and State party president Madan Mohan Jha clarified that there was no such possibility of any split in the CLP.

The BJP too washed its hand off. “The news of split in the Congress is coming from within the party. We have no role to play,” Bihar BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand told Deccan Herald here on Wednesday.