Date:18/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/18/stories/2008091854090400.htm

New Delhi

Congress leaders want discussion on all seats

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

‘Introductory meeting’ of Pradesh Congress Committee held

NEW DELHI: The need for holding discussions on selection of candidates from each of the 70 Delhi Assembly constituencies was emphasised by senior Congress leaders at the first meeting of the Pradesh Election Committee (PEC) held at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan here. The “introductory meeting” was attended among others by Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president J.P. Agarwal, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Members of Parliament Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar, Krishna Tirath, Sandeep Dikshit and R.K. Dhawan along with all Delhi Ministers, Assembly Speaker Chaudhary Prem Singh and MLAs Subhash Chopra, Ram Babu Sharma, Tajdar Babar and Mahabal Mishra.

Mr. Agarwal, who is also the chairman of the committee, set the agenda by stating that the party was in a good position to win the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections for a record third consecutive term. He said the Delhi Government under Congress leadership had performed well and the need of the hour was to take this message to the people.

As for the selection of candidates, he said the procedure should be fair and transparent and every name should be discussed so that the best candidates are selected.

Some of the members are understood to have demanded that policy guidelines be first framed on the basis of the recommendations made by the A.K. Antony Committee to establish the criteria for selection of candidates.

Mr. Agarwal also stated that following discussions in the PEC the names would be sent to All-India Congress Committee general secretary in charge of Delhi affairs, Ashok Gehlot, and the four-member screening committee chaired by Mohsina Kidwai. It was also stated that in case the members were not able to place in public their objections or suggestions on certain candidates, they would also be at liberty to individually send the names in sealed letters to these two leaders.

While the meeting did not discuss any names, it has come at a crucial juncture when there is growing talk in party circles that Ms. Dikshit would be ultimately calling the shots in the selection process as the Congress is heading into the elections primarily on the plank of the performance of her government in the past 10 years.