Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Resentment has been brewing among several Congress leaders since the party announced the first list of candidates for the upcoming assembly elections.
Suresh Pachouri |
The discontent among the party leaders is so much so that those, who were earlier working together, seem to have fallen apart after the first list.
After some quips between former chief minister Digvijaya Singh and MPCC president Kamal Nath, anger of some other leaders has reportedly come to the fore.
Former MPCC presidents Suresh Pachouri and Arun Yadav and former ministers Jitu Patwari and ex-leader of opposition Ajay Singh maintained a distance from the party leadership when the Vachan Patra (manifesto) was released.
They are angry over the apparent sidelining at the time of the distribution of tickets.
The names of a few supporters of these leaders have been struck off the first list and others have been given tickets.
The brother of Yadav, Sachin Yadav, has been given a ticket from Nimar, but his suggestions in distribution of tickets have been ignored.
The same happened to Pachouri whose close aide NP Prajapati has been denied a ticket from Gotegaon.
Now, Singh wants to give a ticket to someone from Bhjojpur.
In places like Bhopal, Hoshangabad, Harda and Narsinghpur, where Pachouri has an influence, Singh and Nath want to give tickets according to their choice.
Patwari, too, has been sidelined by the party. Patwari’s suggestions have not been given any importance for seats in Malwa.
There is an impact of Ajay Singh in some seats in Vindhya region, but his suggestions were also not accepted in connection with some seats.
Singh did not attend the function where the manifesto was released because of his maternal uncle who is the chairman of Vachan Patra committee. He is not on good terms with his maternal uncle. These leaders are waiting for the announcement of candidates for the rest of the 86 seats.
If the candidates are not selected according to the choice of these leaders, the internal squabbling in the party may intensify.
Four Kshatriya leaders play major role
The first list of the Congress contains 24 Thakur candidates out of 144. After these names have been declared, it is being said that the Thakur leaders have played an important role in selecting candidates. Chairman of the screening committee is Bhanwar Jitendra Singh. Besides, former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, leader of opposition Govind Singh and Ajay Singh are its members.
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