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Congress panel working on final list

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI OCT. 29 . Taking the process of selection of candidates for the Delhi Assembly elections further, the Screening Committee headed by the senior Congress leader, Motilal Vora, today exchanged notes and held discussions with the four All-India Congress Committee observers from Delhi. It is learnt that the observers had an interaction with a large number of leaders including sitting MLAs on the prospects of the party and the individuals in the crucial elections.

The four AICC observers - P.M. Sayeed, Harish Rawat, Selja and Naresh Phugalia - had invited a large number of leaders to the Parliament Annexe on Tuesday and were holding discussions with them before shifting the focus to the Screening Committee which also has the AICC general secretary, Oscar Fernandes, as its member. It is learnt that members of the Screening Committee and the AICC observers held discussions on the profile of the candidates who have applied for the ticket and the cases of sitting MLAs. The image of the sitting MLAs, their popularity in the constituency and their ranking also came up for discussion among the AICC leaders.

It is understood that the Screening Committee will continue the process of consultations on the selection of candidates tomorrow and is likely to submit its final list and report to the Central Election Committee headed by the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, on November 2. Sources in the party said the CEC is unlikely to clear the list of candidates in the first go and would take time before arriving at any decision. It was felt that if any early announcement made, it would not only lead to protests and bad blood and provide an opportunity to the rebels to join the Nationalist Congress Party or the Third Front in order to contest against the official party candidate. The last minute announcement will not allow much time to the rebels and would create a situation where the resentment levels will subside and all will join hands to ensure a Congress victory at the hustings. It is also understood that other members of the Screening Committee which includes the Delhi AICC incharge, Ahmed Patel, the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, and the DPCC president, Chaudhary Prem Singh, would be meeting in a day or two to start the process of scrutinising and short listing the names for the 70 Assembly constituencies.

According to the DPCC chief spokesman, Jagdish Tytler, the Screening Committee will continue the process of discussions and has already met the PEC members and important leaders. He said the process had led to some very interactive and fruitful discussions and this open process adopted by the party high command was commendable.

Meanwhile, the huge crowds at the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) Talkatora Road office has declined considerably and the prospective candidates and their supporters have stopped going to the office. The scene has now shifted to the AICC and the venue where the members of the Screening Committee are meeting. Those seeking the party nomination are now camping at the residence of only those who would be taking part in the deliberations in the Screening Committee.

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