Ticket row: Shaktisinh Gohil faces wrath of Aurangabad Congress workers

PATNA: Chaos reigned supreme at Sadaquat Ashram, the headquarters of state Congress here, as supporters of former Aurangabad MP Nikhil Kumar on Thursday staged protest against party’s state brass, accusing them of “selling tickets” to allies. Incidentally, Bihar campaign committee incharge Akhilesh Prasad Singh’s 27-year-old son Aakash Prasad Singh has been fielded by RLSP from Purvi Champaran.

A section of Bihar Congress leaders is upset with the fact that the party got just nine seats as part of seat-sharing arrangement in Grand Alliance, while regional parties like RLSP bagged five seats and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) and HAM (S) three seats each. With the RLSP announcing that Akhilesh’s son will contest on its ticket from Purvi Champaran, a section of Congress leaders became restive.

Nikhil’s supporters raised slogans against Bihar Congress incharge Shaktisinh Gohil, state president of the party Madan Mohan Jha and Akhilesh, accusing them of selling tickets as well as seats. The protest was organised when senior Congress leaders were attending the meeting of the party’s election committee at Sadaquat Ashram. Gohil, who tried to pacify the protesters, faced their anger.

Congress worker from Karakat Surendra Singh and Shardendra Singh from Saharsa challenged Kushwaha, saying the election will be tough for him. “RLSP, which does not even have five MLAs, has been given five

Lok Sabha

seats to contest in state. Of the five seats given to RLSP, Akhilesh managed one for his son Aakash, who has not faced even a panchayat election,” Shailendra said.

Nikhil, who was also present at the party office and attended closed door meetings with other senior leaders, said, “I wanted to contest from Aurangabad, but some big leaders did not want so. I would have won the seat.”

Gohil told reporters that it’s not possible to give ticket to every claimant. In an alliance, ideology should be above one’s personal choice. I am sorry to those who could not get ticket. But all of us have decided to work together to win 40 seats for the Grand Alliance in Bihar,” Gohil said.

Asked about the protests he faced from Nikhil’s supporters, Gohil said, “We are one family and it is natural they will come to us with their complaints. Nikhil Babu is like a father figure for me. We could not get ticket for him for Aurangabad seat in the larger interest of the alliance.”

Meanwhile, Gohil said the Nyay scheme of the party, under which five crore poor people would get Rs 72,000 annually, was not like the Rs 15 lakh promised by Narendra Modi. “This scheme will be implemented if the Congress comes to power as economists have properly reviewed it,” he said. He also highlighted several other proposals included in the Congress’s election manifesto.