Senior Congress figure and former Kadwa MLA Shakeel Ahmad Khan’s call for the Congress to abandon its partnership with the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar citing failure to deliver electoral benefits has sparked tensions within the grand alliance.
Khan argued that the RJD alliance prevented Congress from increasing its legislative presence or strengthening its organizational footprint in Bihar. “The Congress party could neither increase its seat count nor broaden its base in Bihar with the RJD. The party’s top leadership must introspect on the alliance,” he stated, noting that the partnership created confusion among ground-level workers. He maintained that the tie-up ultimately damaged Congress interests in the state.
The former two-term legislator from Kadwa constituency in Katihar district’s Seemanchal region lost his seat to JD(U) candidate Dulal Chandra Goswami in the recent polls. Khan accused the RJD of limiting Congress’ influence in Bihar, particularly regarding seat distribution and campaign strategy formulation during the Assembly elections.
Congress fielded candidates in 61 constituencies during the latest Bihar Assembly polls but secured only six victories. Four of these wins came from Seemanchal, traditionally regarded as a Congress stronghold. The party currently holds two parliamentary seats and four Assembly seats from Seemanchal, whereas the RJD managed just one Assembly seat in the region with no parliamentary representation.
Sources within the party revealed that during a post-election review session in Delhi following the alliance’s disappointing performance, Congress representatives nearly unanimously rejected continuing the RJD partnership. “The Congress could have won more seats had it contested independently, as the perception of the RJD in Bihar has increasingly become that of a party representing only certain communities,” an insider stated.
Congress functionaries also attributed the loss of two critical Seemanchal seats Kadwa and Kasba to the exclusion of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen from the coalition. “We lost Kadwa and Kasba because of AIMIM. Had AIMIM been part of the alliance, our prospects would have been much better in Seemanchal in particular and Bihar in general,” a senior Congress leader told Hindustan Times.
Internal sources indicated that Congress favored AIMIM’s inclusion in the alliance, but opposition from RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav reportedly undermined electoral outcomes. “The party should immediately part ways with the RJD,” they stated.
In Seemanchal, the RJD replicated its weak 2020 showing, capturing only the Raniganj seat in Araria district. Congress held onto its Kishanganj, Araria and Manihari constituencies, and narrowly secured Forbesganj by just 221 votes, while losing Kadwa and Kasba.
Some Congress leaders also contend that independent candidate Pappu Yadav negatively impacted the party’s overall performance in Bihar.
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Responding firmly to these criticisms, the RJD emphasized that Congress had initially sought the alliance. “Every party is free to take its own decision. If the Congress feels it should go alone in Bihar, it is free to chart its own course,” RJD leader Arun Kumar said.
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