Field day for deserters

A recent survey by the central leadership of the Congress suggested that the party had good chances in Mithilanchal/ Simanchal region which go to polls in the first phase on October 21. There are 47 Assembly seats in the area.

AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi,who kickstarted his campaign two days before the election dates were announced,chose Saharsa for his pre-election speeches. Rahul did not forget to mention how he had informed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the pathetic flood situation in 2008 that paved the way for the Centre declaring it a national calamity,with a Rs 1,000 crore help.

However,sources said,the fact that Rahul chose to mention Kosi flood at Saharsa had to do more with the influence Ranjeet Ranjan and Lovely Anand enjoy in the area. Ranjan,a former LJP MP from Saharsa,had joined the Congress before the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. She contested as Congress nominee from Supual and was second to the winner,JDUs Vishwamohan Kumar. Getting over 1.25 lakh votes despite a Nitish wave did make a statement about her fieldwork.

Both Ranjeet Ranjan and Lovely Anand are wives of convicted musclemen and former MPs Pappu Yadav and Anand Mohan,respectively. A Congress leader said: Though Ranjans husband is back in jail,she is an important player for the Congress. Ranjan,who will contest from Bihariganj,has reportedly got four candidates of her choice as nominees from Supaul and Purnia.

Anand Mohans wife Lovely is also important for the party. Mohan had seen a meteoric rise as an upper caste leader opposite Lalu Prasads ultra-OBC politics in the 1990s. Mohan still has a hold over Rajput voters in Saharsa and Madhepura. Post-bataidari and Dalit policies of Nitish,upper caste voters are important for every party. Both Nitish and Lalu tried to get Anand Mohan into their fold, said JDU rebel Lalan Singh.

Similarly,former Motihari MP Akhilesh Singh RJD has a sizeable influence in Arwal,Jehanabad and Motihari. Akhilesh was the main force behind the formation of Kisan Mahapanchayat that took up the bataidari issue to corner Nitish. But when Lalu did not reward Akhilesh,he decided to help the Congress, said a RJD leader.

Nagmani,a former minister,can influence Kushwaha voters in Ujiyarpur.

Though Sadhu Yadav is not liked by most Congress leaders,he does enjoy some influence in Gopalganj and Motihari. The former Gopalganj MP,who could not get the desired number of tickets for his supporters,can still spell trouble for his rivals in the areas of his influence.

The Congress also has the support of Munger MP Lalan Singh and RJDs Maharajganj MP Umashankar Singh. These rebels cannot quit their respective parties for the fear of losing their Lok Sabha memberships,but have been campaigning for Congress candidates in their respective constituencies. Both have also succeeded in getting some candidates of their choice nominated.

The chief Congress spokesperson,Premchand Mishra,however,insists that the main draw for the voters remains the party. Nobody can deny the influence of leaders such as former MPs Ranjeet Ranjan,Lovely Anand,Akhilesh Singh and Nagmani. However,it is finally the Congress Partys ideology that attracts the voters, he said.