Congress to Leverage Bihar Victory for Rahul Gandhi's Crowning

The Grand Alliance's impressive victory in Bihar Assembly elections has come in handy for the Congress party to time its much-awaited crowning of Rahul Gandhi with its president post.

As the Nitish Kumar-led coalition marched to victory in Bihar Assembly polls, Congress on Sunday hastened to credit Rahul Gandhi for it, hailing him as the architect of the Grand Alliance.

"While Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is the architect of the victory in Bihar, Rahul Gandhi is the architect of the alliance," Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam said. The party general secretary Shakeel Ahmed on the other hand insisted that the Grand Alliance could not have been possible but for the effective role played by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.  The 40-minute meeting between Rahul and Nitish Kumar in Delhi months ahead of the polls played a crucial role and is being termed as path breaking, Congress sources said.

The exercise seems to have begun in the party. Leaders tried to propagate Rahul's role in striking a deal with the JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar and bringing Nitish and Lalu Prasad together for the formation of the Mahagathbandhan.  They claimed that Rahul played a key role of catalyst at a time when the RJD supremo was having reservations. Leaders say the victory in Bihar is a good timing for Rahul to take over as party chief. Shakeel Ahmed said it is for party chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul to decide on the issue. There was much talk that an AICC session could be held in the current month itself. Bihar is the first victory for Congress after a long time -- the last major victory being the Karnataka assembly polls where it defeated the BJP.

In a tweet, Rahul called Bihar results a victory of unity over divisiveness, humility over arrogance, love over hate. Congress had contested 41 seats out of 243 as part of the Grand Alliance and is leading in 19.