PATNA: Bihar Congress may have a new chief soon as the AICC in-charge of Bihar, Bhakta Charan Das has sent a fresh list of probables to the party high command Sonia Gandhi to take a final call on the matter. Now, it is up to the Congress high command how early it takes a final decision on the issue.
It is, however, expected that it should not take much time as Bihar Congress has planned to launch a series of programmes to energise state party leaders and workers ahead of 'padyatra' from Kashmir to Kanyakumari on October 2.
In such a situation, the party high command may find it appropriate to clear the air by appointing a new state president of the party. Sources said that Das has sent a list of 45 probables to the party high command to various posts, including the state president.
Congress legislature party leader Ajit Sharma confirmed that the list of probable had been provided to Sonia Gandhi by the Bihar -in-charge of the party. “We hope the state unit will get a new president at the earliest,” he told the media after paying floral tributes to Rajiv Gandhi at the state party headquarters
on Saturday.
Sources said Das has also recommended the names of probable candidates for the post of party co-in-charge and deputy in-charge to the party high command for smooth functioning of the party in Bihar.
The AICC in-charge's list has reportedly not gone down well with a section of state senior party leaders who had even taken up the matter with general secretary KC Venugopal. Das's list includes the name of senior party leader Rajesh Ram for the post of state president.
There are several other contenders for the top party post as the names of Rajya Sabha member Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Kadwa MLA Shakeel Ahmad Khan, state Congress working president and MLC Sameer Kumar Singh, MLC Prem Chandra Mishra, former MLA and Bihar Mahila Congress president Amita Bhushan among others are doing the rounds.
State Congress working president Sameer Kumar Singh was remarkably candid when he claimed that several controversial names at various levels had been proposed to the party high command. "The party's interest can be harmed if these people are appointed to the post," he added.
It has been more than a month since state president Madan Mohan Jha resigned from his post during his visit to New Delhi.
Referring to a proposed programme to be undertaken by the party, Congress spokesperson Asit Nath Tiwari said that the Youth Congress and the NSUI members would take out 'Ek Rozgar Do Yatra' soon in support of its demand for a government job for one member of a family.
In addition, the Bihar Congress will also hold a two-day conclave from June 1. The conclave would be attended by party representatives from various districts and blocks and discussions would be held for formulating a strategy to strengthen the party's support base in the state.
Similarly, the party will also organise a district-level camp on June 11, where each district will be assigned to a state party leader who will be responsible for supervising the arrangements for the camp.