New Delhi: Congress on Tuesday indicated that it will announce the list of party candidates for Bihar Assembly elections next week after a two-day meeting of the Pradesh Election Committee, ending on September 13.
"We are poll ready. The list is almost ready. It will be announced after the meeting of the PEC and the Central Election Committee by the middle of this month," a senior party leader, involved in the exercise said.
The leader said that the focus will be on giving tickets to youth and accommodating all sections of society as the party has no caste or community orientation in the state like other parties. Sources said that Rahul Gandhi will be the star campaigner for the party. He recently held rallies in Samastipur and Saharsa.
They said the state leadership has been asked to prepare a list of segments where they want Gandhi to campaign.
"With the elections announced, Rahul Gandhi is likely to take the state by storm with a whirlwind tour. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi will also address election rallies there," a leader said. Rahul Gandhi had also visited the state early this year to prepare the ground for the organisational elections for the Indian Youth Congress.
Since then, elections have been held and two representatives each from the panchayat, Assembly and Lok Sabha segment wise have been chosen for the IYC. "Some of them could get party nomination," sources said.
Meanwhile, RJD chief Lalu Prasad's brother-in-law and former MP Anirudh Prasad Yadav alias Sadhu Yadav today met AICC General Secretary in-charge of the state Mukul Wasnik and Screening Committee Chairman for the state B K Hariprasada.
Sadhu Yadav had joined Congress during last Lok Sabha elections after falling out with the RJD and had contested on party ticket from West Champaran.The six-phase Bihar elections will begin on October 20. The term of the 243-member Assembly will end on November 27.
Elections in the JD(U)-BJP ruled state are expected to be a triangular affair with Lalu Prasad's RJD and Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP joining hands to oust the NDA from power. The Congress has announced that it would go it alone. All Left parties have joined hands to contest together and could pose a challenge. PTI
