Patna: The Congress party is expected to draw up its final list of candidates for the Bihar assembly elections at a key meeting of its central election committee (CEC) in Delhi on Wednesday, as seat-sharing negotiations with allies enter their last stage.
Senior party leaders, including Congress in-charge Krishna Allavaru, state president Rajesh Ram and legislative party leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan, met behind closed doors at a Patna hotel this week to deliberate on names. Party insiders said discussions centred on candidate selection for individual constituencies, with a preliminary list prepared and set to be carried to Delhi for approval.
The CEC, led by Mallikarjun Kharge and including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, is expected to take a final call on candidates. The timing of the meeting is seen as significant, with talks on seat allocation between the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Left parties close to completion.
Congress leaders have made a series of high-profile visits to Bihar in recent weeks, underlining the party’s determination to maximise its presence in the state. The Election Commission announced on Monday that voting will take place in two phases, on November 6 and 11, with results declared on November 14.
