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Cong. leaves leadership issue wide open

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI SEPT. 30 . A dispute of sorts has arisen in the Delhi unit of the Congress in the run-up to the Assembly elections due later this year. The marginalisation of the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, in the party set-up and the tussle over the leadership issue could lead to an intense struggle in the pre and post-election scenario, according to political observers here.

The recent constitution of the Pradesh Election Committee has left the Chief Minister isolated. Ms. Dikshit has got a raw deal in the PEC set-up and one of her Ministers, Ajay Maken, was not included despite being recommended by Ms. Dikshit herself. "By sending out mixed signals, the party leadership has made it clear that the leadership issue in the post-election scenario was open,'' said a party insider today.

With the PEC largely comprising people opposed to Ms. Dikshit, the Chief Minister might find the going tough. This has also put a question mark on whether Ms. Dikshit will have her way in the selection of candidates. Interestingly, the dissidents have been trying to use various tactics to put the Chief Minister in the dock. Even the advertisements being issued by the Delhi Government regarding achievements of its Government have undergone a change. Suddenly the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, has made a visible presence in all the advertisements, a departure from the existing practice. Sources in the Government said the focus of the previous advertisement was on people and partnership. But some leaders made an issue out of the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi's name being omitted in the advertisements. It is understood that the AICC communicated to the Delhi Government to get Ms. Gandhi's photographs inserted in all the advertisements issued in future. "The Delhi BJP posters do not carry the photographs of the Prime Minister or the Deputy Prime Minister. But some elements in the Congress are going out of the way to create problems for the Delhi Government in the run up to the polls,'' a senior party leader remarked.

In fact, it is understood that the rival camp of the Chief Minister would try to force the party to seek the opinion of the elected representatives in the election of the new leader in case the Congress wins in the Assembly polls. "This is where the fight to ensure the maximum number of tickets for the rival faction has broken out and could prove to be crucial in the post-election scenario

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