New Delhi: Congress on Tuesday indicated that
it will announce the list of party candidates for Bihar
Assembly elections next week after a two-day meeting of the
Pradesh Election Committee, ending on September 13.
"We are poll ready. The list is almost ready. It will
be announced after the meeting of the PEC and the Central
Election Committee by the middle of this month," a senior
party leader, involved in the exercise said.
The leader said that the focus will be on giving
tickets to youth and accommodating all sections of society as
the party has no caste or community orientation in the state
like other parties.
Sources said that Rahul Gandhi will be the star
campaigner for the party. He recently held rallies in
Samastipur and Saharsa.
They said the state leadership has been asked to
prepare a list of segments where they want Gandhi to campaign.
"With the elections announced, Rahul Gandhi is likely
to take the state by storm with a whirlwind tour. Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi
will also address election rallies there," a leader said.
Rahul Gandhi had also visited the state early this
year to prepare the ground for the organisational elections
for the Indian Youth Congress. Since then, elections have been
held and two representatives each from the panchayat, Assembly
and Lok Sabha segment wise have been chosen for the IYC.
"Some of them could get party nomination," sources
said.
Meanwhile, RJD chief Lalu Prasad`s brother-in-law and
former MP Anirudh Prasad Yadav alias Sadhu Yadav today met
AICC General Secretary in-charge of the state Mukul Wasnik and
Screening Committee Chairman for the state B K Hariprasada.
Sadhu Yadav had joined Congress during last Lok Sabha
elections after falling out with the RJD and had contested on
party ticket from West Champaran.
The six-phase Bihar elections will begin on October
20. The term of the 243-member Assembly will end on November
27.
Elections in the JD(U)-BJP ruled state are expected to
be a triangular affair with Lalu Prasad`s RJD and Ram Vilas
Paswan`s LJP joining hands to oust the NDA from power.
The Congress has announced that it would go it alone.
All Left parties have joined hands to contest together and
could pose a challenge.
PTI
