Congress chooses Bhagalpur MLA Ajeet Sharma as Bihar Legislative party leader amid ruckus

Dissenting voices have once again risen in Congress after poll debacle in Bihar, and senior leader & Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel was para dropped in Patna to keep flock toger. Even as Baghel tried to assu concerns of state leaders, on Friday, ANI reported that Congress MLA Vijay Shankar Dubey's supporters clashed with Congress MLAs Siddarth resulting in a physical confrontation and slurs being used. Moreover, two Congress MLAs - Manihati's Mahar Kumar and Araria MLA Aabid-ur-Rehman boycotted  meeting to express ir anger against Central leadership. However, arriving at a consensus, Bihar Congress chose Bhagalpur MLA Ajeet Sharma as leader of its legislature party.

READ | Ruckus At CLP Meeting In Patna; Congress Netas Fight Over Chief Post After Bihar Polls

anuncement made by Baghel and chairman of party's screening committee Avinash Pande also said that Kasba MLA Afaque Alam has been made deputy leader of CLP and Aurangabad MLA Anand Shankar Singh has been made treasurer. 

In Bihar Assembly elections 2020, Congress was able to win only 19 out of 70 seats it contested as a part of seat-sharing with RJD and left parties in Mahagathbandhan. While CPIM-L has made a comeback in Bihar with 12 seats, Tejashwi Yadav - CM face of Mahagathbandhan fell short of forming government despite RJD becoming single largest party and many have blamed it on Congress' poor performance.

READ | NDA MLAs to formally meet on vember 15 to elect next CM of Bihar: Nitish Kumar

On Thursday, Tariq Anwar, general secretary of Congress, said that party should accept truth and introspect about ir loss. However, he also blamed AIMIM for helping BJP to win polls. Similarly, MP Adhir Ranjan Choudhary called AIMIM a B team of BJP drawing ire of Hyderabad MP & AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. Congress MP PL Punia and P Chidambaram have also backed Anwar's opinion and said that a review should happen on bad performance of party so that such a situation doesn't arrive in next elections. 

Chaos had ensued in Congress party during seat allotment as well, and Central leadership of party had removed its own state chief from poll panel. After tickets were given in first phase of Bihar polls, former state chiefs Chandna Bagchi and Anil Sharma accused AICC in-charge Shaktisinh Gohil, BPCC president Madan Mohan Jha and BPCC campaign committee chairman Akhilesh Prasad Singh of favouring ‘tainted and incompetent’ leaders. 

READ | Chidambaram Says Congress Disappointed With Performance In Bihar Elections; 'will Analyse'

Congress president saga

Congress has been in a leadership dilemma since Rahul Gandhi quit as party chief in post-Lok Sabha 2019 debacle. This led to a barr of resignations from posts like Milind Deora, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Priyanka Chaturvedi and many more. Amidst a lot of turmoil with Priyanka Vadra also being considered, Congress finally went back to ir safe option and named Sonia Gandhi as its interim chief. Recently, her tenure was again extended after 23 leaders sought structural changes in party, but were shut down by party's 'Core committee'. Most leaders have time and again implored 50-year-old Rahul Gandhi to take back reins of party, but he has t budged.

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