Independent MP Pappu Yadav attends Congress election committee meeting in Bihar

The election committee of the Bihar unit of the Congress held its meeting in Patna on Thursday (September 18, 2025) in which independent MP from Purnea, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, “made a surprise entry”. At the meeting, party members discussed poll strategy, selection of potential candidates and finalisation of screening process.

The Congress is likely to have its Working Committee meeting in Patna on September 24 in which party leader Rahul Gandhi along with party president Mallikarjun Kharge and others too may join, said a senior State party leader. “Party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, though, is coming to the poll-bound State on September 26 to address a public meeting”, said State party spokesperson Asit Nath Tiwari. Mr. Tiwari said Ms. Vadra would address a public meeting at Purnea in northeast Bihar.

Mr. Pappu Yadav, who earlier announced to have merged his Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) with the Congress, is currently an Independent MP from Purnea in Seemanchal (border) area. Mr. Yadav is said to have effective political control in Seemanchal and Kosi area of northeast Bihar. His wife Ranjeet Ranjan has been a Congress MP from Supaul several times. However, recently on September 15, Mr. Yadav was seen sharing dais with Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the latter visited Purnea to inaugurate the new terminal building of the airport there and several other projects worth ₹36,000 crore. Earlier, Mr. Yadav was caught on camera when he was not allowed to share the open vehicle in which Mr. Gandhi along with Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav and other mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) leaders were moving during the 14-day Voters’ Adhikar Yatra.

However, Mr. Pappu Yadav on Thursday (September 18, 2025) made a surprise entry into the Congress’s Bihar election committee meeting in Patna in which State in-charge of the party Krishna Allavaru, State party president Rajesh Kumar and other election committee leaders were present. “The party leaders discussed the poll strategy and names of the potential candidates and their constituencies. It was a meeting related with the upcoming Assembly elections in the State”, confirmed a senior party leader. When asked how Mr. Pappu Yadav was at the meeting, the leader kept mum. “I cannot say anything on this. You ask our top party leadership on this”, he said.

Buoyed with the positive response from Mr. Gandhi-led 14-day Voter’s Adhikar Yatra which had crisscrossed 1,300 km across 24 districts and over 100 Assembly constituenciesin the State, the Congress is said to have asserted for more seats under mahagathbandhan to contest in the Assembly polls. In the 2020 Assembly election, the Congress contested 70 seats but could register win in only 19 seats with a poor strike rate.

“But, this time the party has got a fresh lease of life after our leader Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatraand we should contest in not less than 70 seats in any circumstances…rather, we should contest in 90 seats”, said a senior party leader from Bihar and former All India Congress Committee (AICC) member Kishore Kumar Jha. However, sources in the mahagathbandhan told The Hindu that the Congress would not get more than 50-55 seats to contest this time “as other alliance parties with better strike rates too have to be accommodated and the total number of seats stands at 243”, said a senior RJD leader, principal ally of the Congress in Bihar. “Let’s wait for a fortnight and everything should be clear on seat sharing”, added, Mr. Tiwari.