PATNA: Kanhaiya Kumar, the AICC in charge of Congress's student wing NSUI, is set to address a meeting of youth workers at Sadaquat Ashram in the state capital on Monday.
His visit to poll-bound Bihar suggests that he may be entrusted with a larger role in the upcoming state assembly elections, scheduled for October-November this year.
Banners and posters have been put up by the NSUI and Youth Congress along the main thoroughfare of the state capital to welcome Kanhaiya, who hails from Bihar's Begusarai district. The posters feature photographs of Rahul Gandhi alongside Kanhaiya Kumar and other prominent Congress leaders. The posters, which were erected by NSUI General Secretary Shashi Kumar, also known as Chunnu Singh, describe Kanhaiya as a "ray of hope" for Congress in Bihar.
According to insiders, Kanhaiya is slated to lead a state-wide Padyatra and contest the assembly election from one of the seats in the Begusarai district. This move positions him to become a key face of Congress in Bihar ahead of the assembly polls.
The Padyatra, aimed at highlighting the issue of unemployment, will traverse 20 districts of the state. When asked about the timing of the proposed Padyatra, a senior Congress leader said, "It will be decided at a meeting of the party's senior leaders, which is scheduled for Monday. It may be launched after the Holi festival, probably on March 16."
Sources indicate that Rahul Gandhi may join the three-week-long Padyatra for a day. The central theme of the Padyatra will be "Kishan (peasants) and Jaujavan (youth)." Kanhaiya, who is set to re-enter Bihar politics after the Holi festival, will lead the campaign.
Kanhaiya, a former JNU students' union president, had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Begusarai on the CPI ticket but lost to Union Minister and BJP leader Giriraj Singh. Since then, Kanhaiya has been less active in Bihar politics, largely due to political reasons.
Sources say that RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav opposed Kanhaiya's launch from Bihar, fearing it would hurt the political fortunes of his younger son, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav. Kanhaiya joined Congress in 2021 and recently contested the Delhi assembly elections but was unsuccessful.
"The scene has changed after the baton of the party was handed over to Krishna Allavaru for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections," said a Congress functionary, who wished to remain anonymous. "Allavaru spends more time with leaders and workers of the party. He is trying to strengthen Congress at the grassroots level."
Kanhaiya's entry into Bihar politics is expected to rejuvenate the youth across the state. Last month, he held a meeting with NSUI activists at his ancestral house in Bihat, Begusarai district, to gather feedback about the prospects of Congress in Bihar. Participants reportedly urged Kanhaiya to focus more on Bihar than on Delhi.
At the meeting, Kanhaiya shared his political strategy for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. He is scheduled to meet Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss the strategy for the state polls.
Earlier, Katihar MP and former Union Minister Tariq Anwar had urged the party high command to finalise matters with its political allies for the assembly elections as soon as possible.
