New Delhi, January 19
The Congress' Central Election Committee (CEC) that cleared the names of party's nominees for next month's Assembly elections in Punjab might be compelled to take a fresh look in certain Assembly segments which have raised the hackles of some sections of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, including some office-bearers and a member of the AICC.
The Congress High Command appears to have flouted several of its own benchmarks, including not giving party tickets to those with a criminal record, giving ticket to only one member of a family and keeping out Congressmen who have been in the party only for five years or had a ‘homecoming’ recently.
The Assembly constituencies which might be considered afresh by the Congress High Command are Srihargobindpur, Moga, Kot Kapura and Jalandhar Central. A select number of PPCC office-bearers have been asked to stay put in the Capital with the dossiers of undesirable nominees for consultations at least till Sunday. The last date for filing nominations is January 25.
Some PPCC office-bearers are perplexed over the way the second list of Congress nominees was released yesterday evening when the CEC had not met or deliberated about the empanelled list of candidates for the elections. Some members of the Congress High Command are at a loss to explain how some persons have been picked up as Congress nominees when there are cases pending against them in courts.
These office-bearers are amazed as to how did the PPCC even accept the applications of certain individuals and submit them for the consideration of the CEC. They stress that a section in Punjab might feel alienated if the party has in its ranks those who had allegedly committed atrocities on Dalits, were involved in abetting terrorist activities and indulged in land grabbing.
