The Hindu : New Delhi News : Congress district chiefs to submit names of poll candidates today

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Thursday, Aug 07, 2008
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Congress district chiefs to submit names of poll candidates today

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

Envelopes with three short-listed names to be given to DPCC

They will be opened before the PEC of party
PEC will have the power to add names to list

NEW DELHI: The process of selection of candidates by the Congress for the Delhi Assembly elections due later this year would move into the next stage on Thursday when the district presidents and observers submit in sealed envelopes the names of three candidates each for every segment to Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president J.P. Agarwal.

The sealed envelopes would only be opened before the Pradesh Election Committee of the party. Incidentally, Mr. Agarwal had started the process of identifying the best suited candidates for the party ticket in the first week of July. The process had begun with the visit of 12 teams to the party districts across the Capital. Each team, comprising a general secretary or vice-president of the DPCC, a former Mayor or a former Delhi Youth Congress president, and a former Member of Parliament or a senior Congress leader, had held widespread discussion with the area Congress leaders and workers to arrive at three names each. While initially these 12 teams were to submit their list of the best candidates for all the 70 Delhi Assembly seats to the DPCC by July 15, the deadline – that had been set by the All-India Congress Committee — was extended because of the quantum of work involved.

Once the names of all the short-listed candidates reach the DPCC president, the Coordination Committee of the Congress that has been converted into the Pradesh Election Committee (PEC), would go through these names and discuss the merits of each case. At the time of starting the exercise, Mr. Agarwal had stated that there was almost 100 per cent certainty that the best candidates would figure in the list and priority would be given to local residents. While only three names from every Assembly segment have been submitted, the process would be flexible as the PEC would have the power to add more names.

After discussing the names, the PEC would send the list of candidates selected by it to the Screening Committee that would be constituted by party president Sonia Gandhi. The final list would be made after the names have are again discussed by members of the Screening Committee and the PEC .

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