Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The AICC screening committee members are holding one-on-one meetings with local party leaders to decide the candidates for upcoming Assembly elections.
However, most of the meetings did not last beyond 2 minutes and this has left many local leaders disappointed as they could not put up their view in the allotted short time. Hundreds of Congress leaders from across the state have come to the state capital to give their opinion.
The committee members have been camping in Bhopal since Saturday and are holding closed-door meetings with the senior party leaders and taking their opinion on the candidates.
The AICC had named Jitendra Singh as chairman of the screening committee with Ajay Kumar Lallu and Saptagiri Ulaka as its members. On Monday the committee had a one-to-one meeting with sitting and former MPs, MLAs and AICC delegates.
Sources to the party claimed that Jitendra Singh and Ajay Kumar met around 200 party leaders who had come from different parts of the state. Many of the local party leaders were happy to meet the leaders designated by AICC to have their opinion in a closed-door meeting, said sources.
The local leaders were called to give their opinion on the probable candidates of their district/division, but several of them claimed themselves as ‘suitable candidates’ for the election. However, some of the local leaders returned disappointed after the meeting.
“When I saw that the committee members were just giving two minutes to each local leader to give their opinion. I thought that it is better to put my recommendation before PCC chief Kamal Nath and I decided not to meet these AICC leaders,” said one of the local party leaders while talking to Free Press.
The party leaders were happy with the huge gathering at the PCC office witnessed in the last 20 years. For the first time the Congress leaders from across the state are feeling that they are part of the grand old party, said a Congress functionary.
Many of the party leaders have been camping in Bhopal since Friday and are likely to leave for their homes by Tuesday evening, after meeting the committee members on an open platform.
First list on or after Sept 15
Talking to media persons screening committee chief Jitendra Singh said the first list of party candidates may be announced on or after September 15. “For me, the first hand opinion from the Congress leaders holds more importance than the survey.
At present three surveys have been conducted and the party is still taking feedback from the grassroots Congressmen,” said Singh. “This is for the first time when the grassroots level Congress worker reached the PCC and met us. For them and also for us this is a big thing,” he added.
