New Delhi: The Congress plunged into turmoil on Friday evening as the scale of its Bihar debacle became clear, with several senior leaders launching a blistering attack on the leadership, ticket distribution and organisational failures.
Shashi Tharoor called the results “deeply disappointing” and demanded “serious, honest introspection” beyond mere post-mortem meetings. He emphasised the importance of examining strategic, messaging, and organisational shortcomings, acknowledging that he never participated in the campaign and therefore lacked firsthand knowledge.
Former Governor Nikhil Kumar pointed squarely at the party’s “organizational weakness,” saying even capable candidates could not compensate for a crumbling booth-level structure. Bihar Congress leader Akhilesh Prasad Singh promised internal churning while congratulating Nitish Kumar but stopped short of owning responsibility.
The sharpest broadside came from Mumtaz Patel, daughter of the late Ahmed Patel, who declared, “No excuses, no blame game, no superficial introspection. It’s time to look within and accept painful truths.” She accused a small coterie completely detached from ground reality of repeatedly rewarding itself while loyal grassroots workers suffered endless defeats.
Senior leader Kripanand Pathak alleged that those responsible in Bihar deliberately fed wrong feedback to the high command and failed to flag public anger. Former minister Shakeel Ahmad, though no longer in the party, reminded everyone that several Congress leaders had publicly alleged financial irregularities in ticket allocation immediately after candidates were announced.
With the party staring at one of its worst-ever showings in Bihar, voices of dissent grew louder, signalling a potentially explosive phase of inner-party reckoning.