New Delhi

Congress looking for ‘consensus list’

NEW DELHI: Headed into an Assembly poll which would this time determine whether Delhi would give a thumbs-up to ten years of work by a “forward-looking” Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit or vote for old warhorse Vijay Kumar Malhotra who has been nominated the BJP candidate for Chief Ministership, the Congress is looking for ways to nominate the best possible candidates for various seats.

The elaborate exercise has seen the preparation of at least three Congress lists – one by the Pradesh Congress Committee observers, the other by All-India Congress Committee observers and the third by the Chief Minister herself – that would form the nucleus of the selection process.

While there may be considerable differences between the lists, the party leaders are of the opinion that by the end of October at least one set of “consensus” names would have been arrived at. “We are likely to identify at least 40 to 50 candidates on the basis of general consensus. These would be the names on which we feel there would be general agreement due to the strength of their work and their popularity in the constituencies” is the view held by the Chief Minister.

As for the remaining candidates, there would be discussions on their names and the Central Election Committee chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi would have the final word on all the names. Holding the view that the candidates put forth by all important leaders of Delhi – be it the six MPs from the city or DPCC president J. P. Agarwal – would find a place in the scheme of things, Ms. Dikshit says this would be healthy for the party’s prospects.

“We have a situation now where there are six MPs from the Congress and they would all like their candidates to be given tickets. This is a pleasant situation and there is a general view that while these leaders should be accommodated, those from other States who have no political role to play in Delhi, should not be allowed to have a say in ticket distribution,” says the Chief Minister.

In fact, Ms. Dikshit, who is a member of the Screening Committee, recalls how in the last election in 2003 several sitting MLA were refused tickets that were given to candidates supported by leaders from other States. And as was feared, while the party fared well and won 47 of the 70 seats at stake, many such candidates lost their elections.

Among the MLAs who were denied tickets in 2003 were Mahinder Yadav of Palam, who was replaced by Sumesh Shokeen, who lost. Likewise, Vir Singh Bidhuri who had come in for Shishpal, the sitting MLA from Tughlakabad, lost. In Saket, Rohit Manchanda who had got the ticket instead of MLA Tek Chand Sharma had also lost.

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