Congs poll prospects bleak in Bihar,say party observers

You hardly find any Congress workers in villages. While the very prospects of getting a party ticket,which also brings party funds to contest elections,draw a lot of aspiring candidates,the Congress does not seem to have much presence at the grassroots level, one observer told The Indian Express.

Another observer said while the party continued to bank on the possibility of Muslims and upper castes coming back to it from the RJD and the BJP,respectively,there was little on the ground to inspire confidence.

At a meeting here with AICC general secretary in charge of the state Mukul Wasnik though,these observers presented a long list of potential candidates. For instance,in one of the districts with 10 Assembly constituencies,the list contained at least 270 potential candidates. There are encouraging reports. We are moving in right direction, said Wasnik.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi had sought to set the house in order in the state,axing AICC in charge of Bihar Jagdish Tytler and PCC chief Anil Sharma last month and replacing them with Wasnik and Mehboob Ali Kaisar,respectively.

The move has,however,failed to check the partys downslide in the state,according to observers.