The Hindu : DPCC leaves it to Sonia to decide candidates

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 22, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

DPCC leaves it to Sonia to decide candidates

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JAN.21. Even before the Lok Sabha elections have been announced, the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee and senior party leaders in an attempt to impress the party high command today passed a two-line resolution authorising the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, to select candidates for the seven seats in Delhi. It is another thing that the process for such an electoral exercise has not even been started at the central level.

The resolution, moved at the meeting of the Pradesh Election Committee, was tabled by the senior leader, Sajjan Kumar, and seconded by the Rohtas Nagar MLA, Ram Babu Sharma. The former Union Minister, Jagdish Tytler and Major Dalbir Singh also chipped in their support. The resolution said the decision taken by the Congress president would be acceptable to one and all. The DPCC president, Chaudhary Prem Singh, chaired the meeting in which the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, was also present.

The PEC meeting also decided to fight the Lok Sabha polls unitedly and wrest all the seven seats, now held by the BJP, for which it will have to work hard. This move is being seen as an attempt by the old guard within the Delhi Congress to fight their last battle as any denial of ticket at this crucial stage would mean an end to their career. Such leaders are already on tenterhooks in view of the preference of the Congress president for younger people with a clean image and background.

A lot of eyebrows are raised at the manner in which the resolution has been passed by the DPCC even before the AICC has swung into action on deciding candidates across the country for the elections.During the Assembly polls, the Congress president had asked the PEC as well as the Screening Committee not to pass the onus of deciding candidates on to her and instead deliberate on the issue and submit a proper report. However, true to Congress tradition, the Delhi Congress leaders have decided to let Ms. Gandhi once again decide on who would be fielded from the seven Lok Sabha seats.

A large number of aspirants have suddenly appeared on the scene for the Lok Sabha polls. Mr. Kumar is aspiring for the ticket from Outer Delhi, a constituency he has represented in the past. Mr. Tytler is set to stake his claim from the Sadar seat and J.P. Aggarwal is planning to contest from Chandni Chowk. The former Leader of the House in the MCD, Ram Babu Sharma, and the Ghonda MLA, Bhisham Sharma, are aspirants from East Delhi constituency. The senior AICC leader and general secretary, R.K. Dhawan, could be the candidate from New Delhi constituency. However, the high command is still to come out with the guidelines for those aspiring for tickets.

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