Bihar Congress suspends 51 rebel candidates

PATNA: The Congress in Bihar today suspended 51 party leaders, including former state chief Ram Jatan Sinha, for contesting the Assembly election against official candidates of the party and Grand Secular alliance.

The decision to suspend the 51 for six years was taken at a meeting of Congress disciplinary committee headed by former MLA Jaganath Prasad Rai.

Those on whom the axe fell included senior leaders like Raghunandan Manjhi, Sidhnath Rai, Sunita Devi and former state Youth Congress chief Lallan Kumar, Congress chief spokesman H K Verma said in a statement here.

He said a probe is on against some others for indulging in anti-party activities during the poll.

Show cause notices have been issued against some such leaders, Verma said adding disciplinary action would be taken against them within a week.

As part of Grand Secular alliance, Congress contested 41 seats out of which it won 27.