Cong set up jumbo committee in Bihar ahead of LS polls

With Lok Sabha polls just five months away, Congress today constituted a jumbo committee in Bihar with as many as 17 vice presidents, 24 general secretaries, 97 secretaries, 84 organising secretaries and 11 spokespersons.
An 83-member executive committee of senior leaders has also been set up, which included PCC chief Ashok Ram, who was appointed some time back by party Vice President Rahul Gandhi as also CLP leader Sadanand Singh, AICC general secretary Shakeel Ahmed, former Union Minister K K Tiwari, MP Maulana Asrarul Haque, Shakil-ur-Jama Ansari a former minister in Bihar government and Vijay Shankar Dubey.
Seven senior leaders including some former PCC chiefs Ramjatan Sinha, Chandan Bagchi, Anil Sharma and Mehboob Ali Qaisar have been made special invitee to the reconstituted PCC.

The rejig follows a threadbare discussion on Bihar affairs by Rahul Gandhi on the Lok Sabha elections during which the issue of alliance had also come up but no decision was taken.
"The issue of alliances did come up for discussion but no decision was taken. There will be some more discussion on the issue before the party finally decides whether to go it alone or align with any party," Congress sources had said after the meeting.
Congress is warming up with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) in recent months after parting ways with BJP in the state as also the NDA at the national level.

Lalu Prasad's RJD has been an outside supporter of UPA-II since 2009 and was a key constituent of the ruling alliance at the Centre from 2004 to 2009.

RJD, which is facing a difficult situation since Lalu was sent to jail recently in a fodder scam case, is also wooing Congress.
The review meeting with the Congress Vice President also decided that Congress President Sonia Gandhi will address a rally in Kishangunj next month and Rahul Gandhi in January-end in Patna.
Congress has been out of power in Bihar since 1989 in the wake of the Mandal and the Mandir surge.