After much speculation, the official seat-sharing announcement for Bihar's grand alliance was finally made last Friday. After intense negotiations, Congress secured 9 Lok Sabha seats from the RJD, albeit most of the seats claimed by the former fell under RJD's control or were allotted to the Left.
The most hotly debated topic post-announcement is the status of Pappu Yadav, who recently merged his party with Congress, and Kanhaiya Kumar, who switched from CPI to Congress. Both were considered as Congress's contenders for different Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. However, sharp manoeuvres from Lalu left both Pappu and Kanhaiya out in the cold.
Kanhaiya Out of the Political Fray
While Congress had claimed the Begusarai seat for Kanhaiya, Pappu Yadav had been vocally staking claim to the Purnia Lok Sabha seat until the very end. Nevertheless, the RJD didn't allow Congress's aspirations on either seat to be realized. RJD handed over the Begusarai seat to its ally, Left, and preserved the Purnia seat for its own candidate, Bima Bharti.
Once the seat distribution was officially announced, all conjectures and claims came to a rest. Pappu Yadav swore to contend from Purnia, yet the burgeoning question is about the political future of Kanhaiya Kumar. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Kanhaiya contested from Begusarai, going head to head with BJP's heavyweight Giriraj Singh. The contest had garnered much attention at the time.
The 2019 election transformed Bihar's Begusarai into one of its most high-profile seats. However, victory eluded Kanhaiya, who lost by a significant margin to Giriraj Singh. In that election, Kanhaiya represented the CPI. Known for his articulate speeches, Kanhaiya gained prominence as a fiery youth leader post his involvement with JNU politics.
Kanhaiya's profile had risen significantly among opposition leaders across India following the JNU episode. When he arrived in Begusarai, many expected RJD not to field a candidate against him. However, Lalu Yadav had other plans, nominating his party's Tanveer Hasan for the contest.
After his defeat, Kanhaiya distanced himself not only from Begusarai but from Bihar as a whole. In time, he shifted from CPI to Congress. Speculation then grew about whether Congress's leadership might send him to the Rajya Sabha or offer him a significant role. Despite actively participating in Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, Kanhaiya has yet to receive a major party role. He has taken on organizational responsibilities within the Congress's youth wing. As the Lok Sabha elections sphere started buzzing again this year, talk reignited about Kanhaiya possibly being declared the Congress candidate from Begusarai, setting up a repeat of 2019's showdown.
Supporters nurtured hope that, with Left being part of the grand alliance and RJD's support, Kanhaiya might pose a formidable challenge to Giriraj Singh in Begusarai. However, as negotiations began, Congress listed Begusarai as its top priority among the 14 seats it staked claim to. But when the official announcement occurred last Friday, the Left had already bagged the Begusarai seat.
CPI had declared Avadhesh Rai as its candidate a week prior, and it was then clear that Kanhaiya's prospects for Begusarai had dimmed. Despite ongoing discussions with RJD, consensus eluded on Begusarai. It appears the political doors in Bihar for Kanhaiya are shut as we look toward 2024.
The buzz now is whether Kanhaiya may contend from the North-East Delhi seat, where BJP has nominated Manoj Tiwari. Considering the significant count of Purvanchali voters, the region has been abuzz with Kanhaiya's potential candidacy. Yet, the path is not smooth, as the Delhi seat has many other aspirants within Congress, including Neha Singh Rathore.
