PATNA, Nov. 16 -- In the wake of a crushing defeat in the recent Bihar Assembly elections, the Congress is grappling with the possibility of mass desertions among its newly elected MLAs. With only six legislators in the 243-member House, the party finds itself in its most vulnerable position, as the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is widely believed to be intensifying its efforts to engineer a 'Congress-Mukt' Bihar legislature. Political observers note that the NDA, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)), has a history of poaching opposition members to consolidate power, and people familiar within the Congress fear the alliance could go to any lengths to lure away its fragile cadre of MLAs. The anxiety stems from the fact that a majority of these MLAs are recent entrants or turncoats with little loyalty to the party's ideology or long-term affiliation. Qamrul Hoda, who unsuccessfully contested the 2020 assembly polls on an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) ticket, joined the Congress only in October this year and secured a victory from Kishanganj, a traditional Congress stronghold. Similarly, Manoj Biswas, the winner from Forbesganj, aligned with the party just in the first week of October before receiving the nomination. Surendra Kushwaha, elected from Valmiki Nagar, joined the Congress last year after quitting the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) founded by Upendra Kushwaha. Abhishek Ranjan, who triumphed in Chanpatia constituency in West Champaran, is a youth Congress leader but maintains close ties with former deputy chief minister and BJP MLA Renu Devi, raising concerns that a lucrative political offer could sway him. Manohar Prasad, who switched from the JD(U) to the Congress in 2015 under a seat-sharing arrangement and won from Manihari, has shown questionable commitment, rarely attending key party meetings in Bihar. Obidur Rahman stands as a potential exception, being a longstanding Congress leader likely to remain steadfast. This vulnerability is not unprecedented for the Bihar Congress. In the past, the party has suffered significant defections, including in the legislative council where former Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) chief Ashok Choudhary, along with Dilip Chaudhary and others, quit to join the JD(U). Similarly, MLAs Murari Gautam and Siddharth Saurav abandoned the party, further eroding its base. Senior Congress leader and former All India Congress Committee (AICC) member Kishore Kumar Jha highlighted the perils of relying on such opportunistic alliances. "The fear of poaching will continue to haunt the party as long as it depends on turncoats to contest elections," Jha said. Citing historical precedents, he added, "People contest and win on the Congress symbol but never serve the party or work to strengthen the organisation." Jha attributed the party's debacle to deeper strategic flaws. He criticised the Congress for becoming overly casteist in its pursuit of Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) votes, which adversely impacted the election outcomes. "Outsiders and even a Member of Parliament from another party looted tickets, sidelining local workers entirely," he said. Jha also blamed the Mahagathbandhan's announcement of Tejashwi Yadav as chief ministerial candidate and Mukesh Sahni as deputy CM for effectively marginalising the Congress....