Former Bihar Congress president Anil Sharma likely to join BJP days after his resignation

In a setback to the Congress in Bihar ahead of Lok Sabha polls, former state president Anil Sharma on March 31 quit the party, claiming that it was stuck in a "disastrous" partnership with the RJD.

Sharma became the fourth former Bihar Congress president to have quit the party in nearly a decade. The latest instance was that of Ashok Chaudhary, who quit the party and joined JD(U) in 2018, a few months after a factional feud caused him to give up the state president's post.

Earlier, in 2015, Ram Jatan Sinha had quit the Congress and after a brief stint in JD(U), he has been in political wilderness. The year before saw Mehboob Ali Kaiser joining late Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP which helped him enjoy two consecutive terms in Lok Sabha from Khagaria.

The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), the opposition coalition in Bihar, including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress and Left parties, recently announced that the RJD, its largest constituent, will contest 26 out of the state's 40 Lok Sabha seats, including Purnia, in the upcoming elections.

The Congress will contest nine seats, followed by CPI (ML) on 3 seats, and CPI and CPI (M) with one seat each.

Bihar will see polling in seven phases. The first phase of polling will be held on April 19, the second phase on April 26, the third phase on May 7, the fourth phase on May 13, the fifth phase on May 20, the sixth phase on May 25, and the seventh phase on June 1.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA, consisting of BJP, JDU ( (Janata Dal-United), and LJP (Lok Janshakti Party), secured victory by taking the lead on 39 out of 40 seats. Meanwhile, the Mahagathbandhan, led by

RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal), INC (Indian National Congress), and RLSP (Rashtriya Lok Samta Party), only managed to secure one seat.

The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 will be held in seven phases from April 19. Counting of votes on June 4. (ANI)