Faced with existential crisis in Bihar, the Congress’ best interests lie in brokering peace between JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad, both vying for an upper hand in the united Janata Parivar which is yet to take a concrete shape. However, it has ended up making the matter more complicated by openly pitching for Nitish Kumar as the chief minister of the larger secular alliance. Bihar Congress president Ashok Chaudhary has already gone on record saying alliance does not mean that the other partners get stronger at the cost of the Congress. Post-bifurcation of Bihar in 2000, its support base dwindled further as theCongress’s tally came down to a single digit in the 2005 polls. It won nine seats out of 243, while in the 2010 elections, it put up its worst ever performance clinching only four seats.
