Senior Congress leader Tariq Anwar on Thursday conceded that the grand alliance couldn't reach the halfway mark of 122 in Bihar because his party was the 'weak link'. According to the party's general secretary Tariq Anwar, the grand alliance constituents -- RJD and Left parties performed well, adding that had the grand old party also matched their performance, the alliance would have formed the government.
The Congress contested elections in an alliance with the RJD and Left parties. The party fielded 70 candidates but won just 19 seats. The RJD field candidates on 143 seats out of the 243, and won 75 seats. The Left parties won 16 of 29 seats they contested. Congress' strike rate was low which restricted the alliance from reaching the magic mark. The party is now facing criticism inside the Mahagathbandhan for its poor show.
"Our performance was not as good as RJD and Left. They performed way better than us. Had we performed like them, there would have been Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar," Anwar told news agency ANI.
Anwar added that the people of Bihar wanted the same and had made up their mind for a change.
"We will hold discussions with our top leadership in Bihar, our election candidates and our District Congress Committees, and reach a conclusion. We will then inform the High Command," he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Bihar Congress president Madan Mohan Jha too admitted that he was not satisfied with the party's performance. "We fought together with RJD and left parties. We helped each other but were unable to reach a magical figure of 122. So, we are not satisfied with the numbers," he said.
In the 2015 polls, the Congress had contested 41 seats and managed to win 27 seats.
