How did Congress lose Bihar? Crucial meeting of party leaders at Kharge's residence

NEW DELHI: A meeting is being held at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's residence following the defeat in Bihar. Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal are attending the meeting.

Ajay Maken, the chairman of the screening committee in charge of Bihar, has also attended the meeting. The meeting will assess why the Congress lost. The 'Vote Chori' allegation targeting the Election Commission and the BJP has not gone down well. The Congress performed miserably in the 23 districts where Rahul Gandhi led 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' passed. Congress could win only 6 out of the 61 seats contested, plunging further from 19 seats in 2020.

There are murmurs within the party that the reluctance of top leaders to lead and coordinate the Congress campaign from the front is what led to the setback in the elections. The 16-day Voter Adhikar Yatra saw a huge turnout, but none of it translated into votes. Rahul left for a foreign trip after the Yatra concluded in Patna on September 1. He became active only after the election was announced. The ripples created by the yatra had already settled down by then.

Rahul Gandhi had already responded yesterday that the election-related procedures were not transparent. The NDA secured its continued rule in Bihar by winning 202 seats in the 243-member assembly. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party, the JD(U), got 85 seats.