As the list of Indian National Congress (INC) candidates for the first phase of Bihar elections 2020 has no minority candidates, people in the state feel that the grand old party has lost the confidence of the minority voters, which is reflected in their ticket distribution.
A local resident Shamim Hasan said, "Congress has lost confidence because they have not won many seats from here and JDU, LJP, RJD got the seats, Muslim also prefer them. Now only by Congress' support many parties make the Government hence people of Bihar do not have confidence in Congress party."
Echoing the similar sentiment, Aas Mohammed a Patna-based voter said, "Congress thinks minorities are like bonded labourers and believes that people will do as the party thinks. Everyone can see the way they have treated minorities. Now voters are intelligent to take their step."
Senior Bihar Congress leader Prem Chand Mishra said, "Due to coalition compulsion we had only 27 seats but in second and third phase which is left, in that minority candidate will be preferred.
Other parties were quick to grab the opportunity to attack the Congress party where JDU leader Ajay Alok said that his party has catered to minorities and will take them along.
"Those who claim to be champion of secularism and accusing us to be communal do not even have a single seat but we have given 10 per cent tickets to Muslims. How can you prosper without considering 16 per cent of the state's population?" Alok told here.
However, Rashtriya Lok Satta party chief Upendra Kushwaha claims that all parties have deceived the minorities but his party is the only place for them.
"All parties, whether it was Congress, RJD or BJP, have deceived the minorities. The only place for minorities is in RLSP," he said.
The 243-seat Bihar assembly is going to polls in three phases. Voting will be conducted on October 28, November 3 and November 7 and the results will be out on November 10.
( With inputs from ANI )
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