Congress fee: Hefty sum may put off some ticket aspirants

IT’s not uncommon for the Congress to charge application fee from ticket aspirants in poll-bound states. However, the party’s decision to hike the fee to Rs 50,000 for the Assam Assembly elections has raised eyebrows. This is not a small amount, and it applies uniformly to all contenders for candidature. Moreover, refunds will reportedly be made only for those seats where the Congress will let its alliance partners contest. The ostensible rationale for the move is on familiar lines: a substantial application fee discourages non-serious aspirants. However, in a state with deep socio-economic disparities and intense intra-party competition, the “one-size-fits-all” approach seems to prioritise financial capacity over grassroots work. The party had given a concession to applicants from the reserved category in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana and Haryana in recent years.

The Congress is certainly not the richest political party in India. Its fund balance of Rs 857 crore pales in comparison with the BJP’s Rs 7,113 crore, as per data compiled by the Election Commission for 2023-24. The saffron party continues to dominate political funding and donations even after the scrapping of the controversial electoral bonds scheme. The Congress, in contrast, does not have adequate money to smoothly run its state units and contest elections across the country.

However, the process of generating funds should not cause resentment among the party cadre. Alienating local workers by erecting financial barriers is nothing but a self-inflicted injury. The Congress needs to counter the BJP’s claim that it has turned the ticket application process into a cash-driven exercise. Promising refunds across the board with a clear timeline can be helpful. The party should also go all out to refute the allegations that it allots tickets to the highest “bidders”.