The Hindu : New Delhi News : Congress begins final screening process

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Friday, Mar 16, 2007
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New Delhi

Congress begins final screening process

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

WAITING FOR GODOT?: Ticket seekers outside the residence of Union Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken in New Delhi on Thursday. Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

NEW DELHI: The final screening of candidates of the Congress party for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections began with the new screening committee set up under party in-charge for Delhi affairs Ashok Gehlot discussing the short-listed names at length on Thursday.

The new committee comprising Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office Prithviraj Chauhan and All-India Congress Committee general secretaries B. K. Hariprasad and V. Narainswamy had detailed discussions with Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Ram Babu Sharma and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on the selection of the candidates.

The new Screening Committee has before it a panel of names for the 272 wards. Sources said an average of three names had been forwarded for each ward and discussions centred round the winning prospects and image of each candidate. The constitution of this second Screening Committee has illustrated the keenness of the party leadership to approach the polls in all seriousness and not allow selection of undeserving candidates. In view of the performance of most party Councillors in the last MCD, the party had declared that it would not give tickets to tainted Councillors and those having a criminal background. It had also declared that workers would be given preference over relatives and youth would be promoted.

Incidentally, while some MPs and MLAs had sent across single name representations for various wards in their constituencies, that had not gone down well with the leadership which had kept these leaders out of the first 10-member Screening Committee that was set up to scrutinise the names.

To put forth a united face, Union Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken had been included in the list along with Mr. Sharma and Ms. Dikshit. The other members on the panel were Delhi Ministers A. K. Walia and Arvinder Singh, AICC secretaries Pervez Hashmi and J. D. Seelam, and MPs Krishna Tirath and J. P. Aggarwal. The party is learnt to have already finalised a number of names and discussions are now being held for wards where there are more than one serious contender. Though the final decision is pending, some of the applicants have already been intimated about their selection by members of the first Screening Committee.

The final list is expected to be announced on Friday.

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