Will Congress in Bihar head the West Bengal way soon, with no Assembly representation?

New Delhi, Jan 15 (IANS) Even as the Congress leadership is boggled with its Karnataka conundrum, reports indicate that the party may end up with the same number of Assembly seats in Bihar as it currently has in West Bengal – zero. 

All six Congress MLAs in Bihar are at the centre of intense speculation, with on-ground reports suggesting that they may defect to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal-United.

While Congress leaders deny the rumours, absences from party events and overtures from the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have fuelled talk that the already weakened Opposition could face further decimation.

Speculations gained traction after three Congress legislators skipped a crucial party meeting last week, while none of the six attended the traditional "dahi-chura" feast hosted by the state Congress unit on the eve of Makar Sankranti.

Reports say that the ruling Janata Dal-United's leaders are in touch with the Congress MLAs, and defections could be announced soon.

Adding fuel to rumours, Public Health Engineering Department minister Sanjay Kumar of the Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas even claimed all six Congress legislators are in touch with the ruling NDA and will cross over after Makar Sankranti (observed on Wednesday).

The speculation comes just two months after the NDA’s landslide victory in the Bihar Assembly elections, where it won 202 of the 243 seats, leaving the opposition Mahagathbandhan in tatters.

Analyses outline three possible outcomes.

In the first case, all six MLAs defect, wiping out Congress’s legislative presence and symbolically marking its collapse in Bihar. Also, there exists a chance of a partial defection, enough to trigger an official split under anti-defection rules, leaving Congress weakened but not erased.

However, without confirmation, there remains the chance of a status quo, where the MLAs remain, but continued speculation will further erode party credibility.

In any scenario, the Opposition bloc of Mahagathbandhan, already marginalised in the Assembly election, will be further weakened.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the largest opposition party, would lose its ally’s legislative support. The RJD could win only 25 seats against its previous tally of 75. The Congress, which lost 13 seats in the last poll compared to 2020, is already facing difficulties in holding its flock together.

State Congress President Rajesh Ram insisted the MLAs remain loyal and accused the NDA of spreading misinformation. National leaders have also emphasised that the party is focused on nationwide campaigns like the “MGNREGA Bachao Sangram”.

But the Congress, already reduced to a marginal force in several states, now faces the prospect of losing its entire legislative presence in Bihar.

For Nitish Kumar and the NDA, such defections would be a political coup, further cementing their dominance. For the Opposition, it would be another setback in a state once considered fertile ground for anti-BJP politics.

The Congress's central leadership have, however, denied any imminent defections, but insiders admit morale is low after the electoral rout.

In neighbouring West Bengal, the Congress today has no representation in the Assembly despite ruling the state earlier till 1977, except for a brief interval.

--IANS

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