Other States - Rajasthan   

Storm brewing in Congress

Special Correspondent

Gehlot group may challenge `unanimous' decisions

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee elections, scheduled to be held this Wednesday, are unlikely to be a smooth affair, with a formidable group in the party getting ready to challenge any move for a unanimous choice of the State unit president and other senior functionaries.

As such there is a general impression that B.D. Kalla, who was nominated by the party high command as the Rajasthan PCC (I) president, replacing Narain Singh two months ago, would be elected unanimously. However the group owing allegiance to the former Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, might not let go the post uncontested lest this would give the impression that they were happy with the goings-on in the Rajasthan Congress.

The Gehlot supporters are wary about the likely move by Balkavi Bairagi, the PRO (Pradesh Returning Officer) for the elections, to get a one-line resolution adopted by the elected members of the PCC at today's meeting leaving it to the Congress high command to decide on the new president. This would again lead to total domination of a few leaders from the State presently in Delhi, they fear.

"A few senior leaders want to rule the PCC by proxy. The grassroots level workers are ignored,'' observed a former member of the Gehlot Cabinet. The Gehlot supporters, most of whom were kept out of the PCC during the time of Girija Vyas as State unit president, would continue to be out, going by the present situation, it is being pointed out.

The Gehlot faction is embittered about the role played by Mr. Bairagi in the appointment of BROs and DROs. The list of 291 PCC members cleared by Mr.Bairagi and Jagannath Patnaik, his deputy, has many father-son combinations, which at places get extended to father-son-grandson and father-son-daughter-in-law groupings.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

Storm brewing in Congress
No violation of Sati Act, say police
`Bal Rasoi' planned

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu