IS CONGRESS USING PRESSURE POLITICS IN SEAT SHARING?

IS CONGRESS USING PRESSURE POLITICS IN SEAT SHARING?

24-SEP-ENG 22

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

PATNA-------------------------Amidst preparations for the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, Congress has made a major move. The party's National General Secretary, Priyanka Gandhi, is scheduled to arrive in Motihari, East Champaran, on September 26th, where she will address her first election rally at Gandhi Maidan. Significantly, this seat went to the RJD in the last Grand Alliance, but Priyanka Gandhi's decision to contest from here clearly indicates that Congress is using pressure politics in seat sharing.

Motihari is considered a BJP stronghold. In the 2020 elections, BJP's Pramod Kumar won here. RJD candidate Om Prakash Chaudhary lost by 14,645 votes. Congress did not contest directly here in the last election, but Priyanka Gandhi's rally indicates that the party wants to establish an active presence in this constituency. It's worth noting that during Rahul Gandhi's Voter Rights Yatra, a poster dispute broke out between Congress and RJD workers in Motihari. The matter escalated to the point where Congress even filed an FIR against RJD workers. Priyanka Gandhi's launch of her election campaign from Motihari is being seen as a clear message to the RJD that Congress is now aggressive about its share.

This time, Congress is demanding 70 seats in the Grand Alliance. In 2020, Congress contested 70 seats and won 19. The party argues that it lost many seats by very narrow margins, so it should be given a chance in areas where its base has strengthened. Priyanka Gandhi's Motihari rally is considered part of this strategy.

The BJP has consistently held a strong position in the Motihari seat. Pramod Kumar has won here three times. Congress last fielded a candidate in 2010, but performed very poorly. Now, with Priyanka Gandhi's presence, Congress wants to demonstrate that it is not just an ally but is ready to play a decisive role in the Bihar elections.