Date:17/11/2002 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2002/11/17/stories/2002111703770800.htm

Other States - Gujarat

Cong. finalises 140 candidates, keeps list secret

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI NOV. 16. The Congress continues to hold its cards close to its chest. According to the AICC general secretary in-charge of Gujarat, Kamalnath, the central election committee today finalised a list of 140 candidates, but has refrained from releasing it, for strategic reasons.

Mr. Kamalnath told the media at the end of the daylong meeting, that the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, would decide the remaining 42 candidates. Though he said that this was done to enable her to ensure the regional and other social balances in the list, it is learnt that the seats left in abeyance are a bone of contention among the various factions. Mrs. Gandhi will try and reconcile the conflicting claims after studying the past poll results.

Apart from the dispute over the seats, another factor in not making the list public is the fact that the BJP is yet to come up with its list. The party does not want the BJP to have the advantage of knowing who the Congress candidate would be from a particular constituency. ``We know what we have to do. The last date of filing the nominations is on November 25. There is no tearing hurry to put out the list'' said a senior AICC leader.

The poll panel which met for a major part of the day at the residence of the Congress president also reportedly took up the question of an alliance with the CPI(M), CPI, and Lok Janshakti.

The question of leaving seats for like-minded parties is proving to be difficult. Mr. Kamalnath said the GPCC chief, Shankersinh Waghela, will hold one more round of talks with the Left parties and the Lokjanshakti, before a final decision is taken.

The central leadership and the state leaders hold divergent views on the issue. While the central leadership is interested in accommodating the Left parties and the Lokjanshakti, the state unit has a different view. The state leaders believe that the contest will be a fierce one, with only a handful of seats separating the two parties, and therefore the party should hang on to every seat it can. The central leadership is keen on accommodating these parties, and it believes a tie-up in Gujarat will help cement ties at the national level.

According to sources the party has decided to leave a seat for the CPI(M) and possibly one for the CPI, but it is finding it difficult to accommodate the demands of the Lokjanshakti. Apparently Ramvilas Paswan's party has demanded 18 seats which the state leaders believe is on the higher side, and are willing to part with only a couple of seats.