Politics

Analysis | Why Congress Has Chosen to Keep Kanhaiya Kumar Out of the Bihar Race

It was much anticipated that Kanhiya Kumar would contest the Bihar assembly polls. However, Kanhaiya says he is not fighting.

Kanhaiya has come out with a reason explaining his non-participation. He says that he will follow the party’s instructions, and contest from wherever the Congress party deploys him, even if it is from Andaman and Nicobar islands. He also said ‘team work’ is also one of the reasons behind his non-participation in the polls, and he is only playing a part in this ‘team work’. 

Kanhaiya Kumar’s Background: 

In his not so long political journey, Kanhiya Kumar has quickly risen to national prominence.

Kanhaiya Kumar’s entry into politics started from his political rise in JNU as student union’s president. This involvement of Kanhaiya in student politics shot him to prominence. From jail to national politics, here’s a quick look at his political journey. 

For Kanhaiya it started off with his 2016 arrest from JNU campus. He was arrested for alleged ‘anti-national’ activities and slogans, charges for which he had denied. He was participating in an event to observe the second anniversary of the hanging of Afzal Guru, who was convicted in the 2001 Parliament attack case. 

Later, he was granted bail on condition that he would not participate in any “anti-national activity.”

Soon after his bail, Kanhaiya delivered a speech on the JNU campus. The speech drew both praise from political parties and death threats from right-wing Hindu organisations.  In his speech, he had spoken of “freedom, not from India but within India.”

From there his popularity peeked, and soon he plunged into electoral politics. 

His journey started from the Communist Party of India. There he was elected to the party’s national council, and also to the party’s national executive council. Later, on CPI’s ticket, Kanhaiya fought the Lok Sabha polls from Bihar’s Begusarai seat against BJP’s Giriraj Singh. He lost that election. 

Switch to Congress in 2021:

Since his entry, he has largely been given national responsibilities rather than just state roles—such as overseeing the NSUI and representing the party in major campaigns like the Bharat Jodo Yatra and campaigns.

He was fielded by the Congress party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from North East Delhi. However, he lost his second election too. 

Bihar Assembly Polls 2025: 

Congress’ decisions to not field Kanhaiya Kumar from Bihar could be multiple given the current situation of Bihar’s electoral environment. 

First could be using Kanhaiya’s influence and popularity in Bihar to establish Congress in Bihar. Given Kanhaiya’s popularity in Bihar, Congress would strengthen its base in Bihar. His presence could help the party gain much-needed ground support and visibility in a state where its footprint has weakened over the years.

The second reason for not fielding Kanhaiya would be that  Congress might not want to risk another visible defeat for him, because this would weaken Kanhaiya’s image as a rising national face.

The third reason could be the dynamics within the INDIA bloc in Bihar. Since the RJD is the dominant force in the alliance, fielding Kanhaiya there might limit his political space. Even if he wins, he would likely remain in RJD’s shadow, reducing his individual visibility and influence. And this is something Congress might want to avoid. 

Taken together, these reasons point to a calculated move by the Congress. By keeping Kanhaiya out of the Bihar polls, the party seems to be balancing multiple goals. Rather than confining him to a single state’s political arena, Congress seems to be preparing Kanhaiya for a larger role in its future narrative.

 

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