Bihar Congress leaders urged to close ranks for UPA`s success

Patna: Seeking to quell rebellion by his predecessor Chaudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser and others, the Bihar Congress president Ashok Chaudhary has urged all senior party leaders to close ranks and work together for success of the UPA candidates in Bihar during the general elections.

"All Congress leaders and workers must shed differences and come together to ensure victory of the Congress, RJD and NCP candidates in Bihar so as to contribute maximum MPs from Bihar for formation of the UPA-III at the Centre after the general elections, he said while presiding over state-level meeting of party workers at Sadaqat Ashram. The party was aware that some senior leaders will not be able to contest the polls as the seats which they had been eyeing have gone to the allies, Chaudhary said referring to Kaiser`s failed bid on Khagaria seat and that of another ex-BPCC president Sadanand Singh`s on Bhagalpur with both seats going to the RJD under the seat sharing arrangements among the UPA allies. "However, it was incumbent on all of us to abide by commitment of coalition politics and put our weight behind the allies` candidates on seats being contested by them," the BPCC president said. Later, interacting with reporters, Chaudhary said that he was aware about certain leaders of the party airing their grievances in public over ticket distribution but nothing could be done about it as the seat sharing arrangements have been clinched among the allies. "We appeal to all party leaders to respect the Congress leadership`s decision on seat sharing with the allies and ticket distribution to our candidates and work together for success of the UPA candidates from Bihar," he said. "At the same time, we can not stop anybody from quitting the party if one wants to do so," the BPCC president said. Earlier in the day, Kaiser had raised a banner of revolt against the Congress leadership by questioning their decision to let go Khagaria parliamentary seat to the RJD on which he wanted to contest. The demography of Khagaria parliamentary seat is such that the Congress candidate would have won hands down, but the party let it go to the ally, Kaiser rued and refused to scotch speculation doing the rounds that he may junk Congress to join Ramvilas Paswan`s LJP. Kaiser also refused to confirm or deny rumour that the LJP supremo has offered him Khagaria, a seat that has fallen in Paswan`s kitty post sharing with the BJP. The former BPCC president`s rebellion has come close on the heels of another senior leader Sadanand Singh writing to the Congress leadership voicing his disapproval of the seat sharing arrangement with the RJD which has walked away with Bhagalpur parliamentary seat from which the veteran Congress leader wanted to contest from. It may be mentioned that after a protracted negotiation, the UPA allies last week clinched seat sharing arrangements in Bihar under which the RJD, Congress and NCP have got 27, 12 and one seat each.