Will field more women candidates in Bihar polls: Congress state chief

Patna, Oct 7 (IANS) Bihar Congress President Rajesh Ram announced on Tuesday that the party is likely to field more women candidates than men in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.

Speaking at a press conference in Patna, he said the Congress aims to ensure maximum representation of women in constituencies where the party contests.

Addressing questions on seat-sharing within the INDIA Bloc, Rajesh Ram said that discussions are ongoing and that a formal announcement will be made soon.

“Talks are progressing positively, and we will announce the final details to the media shortly,” he said.

Also present at the press conference, Jharkhand government minister Deepika Pandey took sharp aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, remarking that they are acting like cousin brothers.

She questioned the timing of the NDA government’s announcement to distribute Rs 10,000 to 1.21 crore women, alleging that it was an election-driven move.

“If the government can help 1.21 crore women, why are other women still being left out? What has the Prime Minister done for the women of Bihar so far?” she asked, adding that the Jharkhand government had implemented its own welfare promises (Maiya Samman Yojana) effectively.

During the same briefing, Rajesh Ram also condemned the incident of a shoe being thrown at a Supreme Court judge, calling it highly condemnable and a direct attack on the Constitution and judiciary.

He alleged that the incident reflected the growing intolerance under the BJP-RSS government.

The Congress had contested 70 seats in the 2020 Bihar Assembly election, but this time, the number of seats may be lower.

With more parties joining the Grand Alliance — including Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) led by Mukesh Sahani, Pashupati Kumar Paras’s Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) and Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) — the seat-sharing arrangement will have to accommodate additional partners, leaving Congress with a smaller share.

--IANS

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