World | India
New faces likely on Congress poll list
The ruling Congress party may deny nominations to a large number of its sitting lawmakers during the forthcoming Delhi assembly elections.
- By Ajay Jha, Chief Correspondent
- Published: 00:14 April 13, 2008
New Delhi: The ruling Congress party may deny nominations to a large number of its sitting lawmakers during the forthcoming Delhi assembly elections.
The party, with independent inputs, has identified nearly two dozen lawmakers, including two ministers in the Sheila Dikshit Cabinet, who stand little chance of retaining their seats when elections are held in November-December this year.
The strategy being prepared is part of its plan to win a third consecutive term in view of a resurgent Bharatiya Janata Party, which is confident of dislodging the Congress party from power in the state assembly.
The BJP's performance in last year's municipal polls, when it won 168 out of 272 seats in the Delhi Municipal Corporation, is a major cause of concern for the Congress party's strategists. Based on an internal survey conducted by a Hyderabad-based company, the central leadership has already told its state unit to prepare mentally those who would be denied nomination.
The survey has suggested that the best way to beat the anti-incumbency factor is to deny nominations to about 24 out of its 47 lawmakers since they have failed to perform.
Promises
Getting them mentally prepared for such an eventuality has been left to the Delhi state unit of the party, which in turn has got in touch with them.
Promises of rehabilitating them or nominating someone of their choice are part of the strategy to ensure none of them spoil the party's prospects by contesting on their own.
Likewise, the state unit is also trying to identify party leaders who had areas of influence and make them feel wanted.
"Many of them tend to accept nominations offered by some smaller parties. Although they stand no chance of winning, they end up cutting into our vote bank," explained a general secretary of the Delhi state Congress Committee.
Such local leaders are being introduced to senior leaders of the party so that they feel wanted and respected, he added.
The survey has suggested that as far as possible, the party should unofficially finalise its list of candidates for all 70 assembly seats so that they can start working among the masses.
This is the only way the party can deflect the threat it is facing from the Bahujan Samaj Party, which was responsible to some extent for spoiling the Congress party's chances in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand assembly elections last year.
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