Congress youth leaders in Bihar have voiced significant discontent over candidate selections for the upcoming assembly elections, emphasizing the need for greater youth representation rather than nominations predominantly comprising the “sons of leaders.” Following a meeting of the Central Election Committee (CEC) chaired by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, several party members expressed dissatisfaction. One youth leader claimed that the party was resorting to “dummy candidates.”
Sudhir Sharma, from the National Students’ Union of India, stated, “We want youth leadership in the Bihar Assembly… We do not want just the sons of leaders; the youth should receive their rights.” A party worker seeking a ticket from the Supaul assembly district echoed this sentiment, insisting that the leadership was searching for “dummy candidates.”
Further frustration arose when allegations surfaced regarding Congress leaders Krishna Allavaru and Rajesh Ram, who, according to a party worker, misled women by having them campaign extensively, only to ultimately deny them candidacies. The worker lamented, “It was said that those on the screening committee would receive tickets based on their applications. However, leaders like Krishna Allavaru and Rajesh Ram are making women work hard and then deceiving them at the end. The promise made by Rahul Gandhi to honor the youth and women is being broken by Krishna Allavaru. We will not accept this.”
Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram defended the selections, stating that the party had made “strong decisions on quality candidates for the Vidhan Sabha seats,” asserting that all nominated candidates had been approved. “Clarity on our key seats has been established, and the names have received the green light from the CEC,” he confirmed.
In related developments, the BJP has already announced its initial list of 71 candidates for the forthcoming elections. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has also finalized its seat-sharing formula, with the BJP and JD(U) set to contest 101 seats each. Additionally, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will field candidates for 29 seats, while the Rashtriya Lok Morcha and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) will contest six seats apiece.
