Prolonged ticket exercise impedes Cong campaign

Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 1

As the Congress high command takes its time to clear the final list of 40 candidates for the Punjab elections, party activists across the state observe that the prolonged exercise has impeded the election campaign.

Before the start of meetings in the first week of December in New Delhi to finalise the candidates, the party had virtually hit the campaign trail under the command of PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh. He was holding meetings with students and other sections of society almost on a daily basis and had covered various parts of Majha, Doaba and Malwa.

Over the past month, almost all senior state leaders and ticket aspirants camped in the Capital to lobby with the high command. This put the brakes on canvassing. After 77 names were cleared, the nominees are reviving the campaign in their respective constituencies.

“I told the top brass to clear the names for all 117 constituencies at the earliest so that the party leadership could bring the poll campaign back on track in the state,” said a Congress leader and former Union Minister. He said he had cautioned the high command not to take too much time in deciding the nominees.

Since last month, several meetings have been held in New Delhi to select the candidates. There are reports that it may take at least a week more to clear the remaining names.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has gone abroad. He is expected to return on January 4. Amarinder is to leave for Patna on January 4 and he is likely to stay there for a day or so. So, the next meeting of the Congress Election Committee (CEC) is likely to be held either late in the evening on January 5 or next day.

Party insiders say the final list is held up because of a tussle between ticket aspirants in at least 25 constituencies. Some party leaders have opposed the proposed nomination of Akalis who joined the Congress recently.