Congress' Gaya candidate resigns from party

GAYA: The district unit of the Congress party received a major setback after Awadhesh Kumar Singh, the party''s candidate for the Gaya seat, resigned from the party and announced his decision to contest the Gaya Muffasil seat as an Independent.
Singh won the 1980, 1985 and 1990 elections as a Congress candidate from the Gaya Muffasil seat and narrowly lost the election from the same constituency in the 2000 assembly elections.
Talking to TOI on Sunday afternoon, Awadhesh Kumar Singh said he was under immense pressure from his supporters, including a large number of minority community voters, not to desert Gaya Muffasil seat and contest the election as an Independent candidate.
Since the very beginning, Awadhesh Singh was reluctant to contest the Gaya town seat as he was not familiar with the political pitch of this constituency. Sources said Singh''s refusal to contest the Gaya town seat comes as a major embarrassment for senior Congress leader and Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh. Initially Arjun Singh had tried to persuade RJD supremo Lalu Prasad to dump the sitting MLA Vinod Kumar Yadavendu and leave the seat for Awadhesh Singh.
Following his failure to melt Lalu, Arjun Singh lobbied hard for Awadhesh Singh''s candidature for Gaya town seat and succeeded despite stiff opposition from several senior leaders of the party.
With Singh''s refusal to contest the Gaya town seat, other Congress aspirants for the town seat have once again approached their patrons in Patna and Delhi to lobby hard for the ticket. Singh''s decision could not have come at a worse time for the party, as, with less than 24 hours remaining for the end of nomination, the party will have to search a formidable substitute.
Names doing the rounds in political circles include the DCC vice-president Mohd Moosa, former MLA Dr Jugal Kishore Prasad, ward councillor Renuka Palit and party activist Pappu Chaurasia.
Singh''s withdrawal from the Gaya town race has caused happiness in the LJP camp and party leaders now want to prevail on the Congress to support its candidate Mohd Alhas.