The Hindu : New Delhi News : Tulsi’s name crops up for West Delhi

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Tulsi’s name crops up for West Delhi

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

Senior counsel K.T. Tulsi

NEW DELHI: Though the Congress has six sitting MPs representing Delhi in the Lok Sabha, there is no dearth of new names that crop up every now and then as possible candidates for the upcoming elections. The latest addition to the list of probables for the seven Lok Sabha seats from Delhi is senior Supreme Court advocate K.T.S. Tulsi for the West Delhi seat.

Clean image

Sources in the party said over the weekend that Mr. Tulsi, who has represented Punjab Police against Sikh terrorists, fought the Uphaar fire tragedy case for the victims, and resigned as Gujarat Government counsel following Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks in the Sohrabuddin case, carries a very secular and clean image. Moreover, his name has been forwarded by the party’s top leadership and his being a Sikh is seen as an attempt by the Congress to woo the predominantly Punjabi and Sikh voters in the constituency who have traditionally backed the BJP.

West Delhi is the only seat where the BJP polled more votes than the Congress in the last Delhi Assembly elections. But, sources insist, the nearly 12,000-vote margin means little in a Lok Sabha election, particularly when some Congress rebels had cornered large chunks of votes in the Delhi Assembly polls.

Congress rebel and MCD councillor Dhuli Chand Lohia had bagged nearly 15,000 votes in Rajouri Garden. Similarly expelled Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president Ajit Singh Chaddha had fought from Tilak Nagar and polled over 4,000 votes. Some Congress leaders had worked against the party in Najafgarh and therefore bringing all these people back into the fold now would improve the party’s chances considerably.

Besides Mr. Tulsi, sources said, the other names in the panel include four-time MLA Mukesh Sharma who believes that he can also swing the Brahmin vote back to the Congress that had gone to the Bahujan Samaj Party in three of the constituencies. He himself wields a major influence in the three constituencies and in Najafgarh his uncle and Leader of Opposition in MCD house Jai Kishen Sharma is a respected figure. Another name on the panel is that of AICC secretary and former Councillor Alka Lamba.

Muslim votes

Dwarka MLA and Poorvanchal leader Mahabal Mishra had also thrown his hat into the ring but many believe he would be a much better candidate from North East Delhi that has a sizeable Poorvanchali population and where the Muslims traditionally support the Congress.

Since West Delhi also has a sizeable Jat population and three MLAs from the community were elected in the Delhi Assembly elections, DPCC general secretary and advocate Naresh Kumar, who hails from the community, is also in the hunt now for a Lok Sabha ticket. While he is banking on his acceptance to both rural and urban population, his candidature also hinges on whether the party would field a Jat candidate from South Delhi or not; for West Delhi is the only other seat where the community has a significant population.

Finally, the name of advocate R.K. Anand, who had contested the 2004 Lok Sabha election from South Delhi and lost to the BJP’s Vijay Kumar Malhotra, is also doing the rounds. With four segments of South Delhi going to West Delhi after the delimitation of constituencies, some believe he would be a good bet to woo the large Punjabi population. But the shadows of a recent sting operation also loom large over his candidature.

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