NEW DELHI: Disproportionate focus on SIR/vote theft at the cost of crucial local issues of cost of living, migration and corruption was cited by some senior functionaries as a reason for the decimation of Congress in Bihar, as they urged the central leadership to fix accountability for the defeat if the party is serious about reviving itself in the state.Some local officials listed three reasons for the defeat: government’s payment of Rs 10,000 to women during the polls, booth manipulations and a lack of coordination among partners. The AIMIM was also blamed for division of minority votes in Seemanchal region and beyond. It was alleged that BJP had used a “basket of tools” to “fix” the polls which spanned SIR, EVMs, the buying of votes and use of the administration against opposition candidates. Days after the Bihar debacle, the AICC brass of Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal held a review of the poor show with poll candidates and MPs. Around 70 members met the leadership in batches. Before the meetings started and top netas arrived, two losing candidates were reported to have clashed over the reasons for the defeat – with one taking exception to the other advocating violence against “outsiders” who got party tickets. Some claimed that the idea of meeting the state functionaries in batches was also to avoid a potential clash in a large gathering.A politician is said to have found fault with the manner of candidate selection which, he said, cost the party heavily. He is said to have told Rahul Gandhi that just like he had taken responsibility for the defeat in 2019 Lok Sabha polls and stepped down as party president, heads should roll in the state too – in what was a veiled jibe at AICC in-charge Krishna Allavaru – an issue that was also raised by other members, sources said. A section of party members also targeted the alliance with RJD, saying the ally brings some votes but also polarizes other communities. It was also demanded that Congress break the alliance with RJD. However, at one group meeting, Rahul is said to have rebuffed it by asking why the party failed on seats that witnessed “friendly fights” with Congress and RJD in the fray against each other. Questions were asked about the weightage given by Congress to caste census with arguments that victory of candidates from individual upper castes is vastly higher than their population share, while that from some large OBC communities is just in line with their numbers – in a veiled reference to the advocacy of “share as per population” slogan.
