AICC general secretary and in-charge of party coordination wing, Rahul Gandhi, has entrusted various agencies in getting inputs on the selection of Congress candidates for the coming Lok Sabha polls. It is amply clear that there will be no automatic renomination of sitting MPs, in fact, it is most likely that fresh faces will be selected this time.
This was disclosed by Mr Gandhi’s emissary Jatinder Desh Prabhu during his interaction with party leaders for the second day in the Congress Legislature Party office on Sunday.
Congress leaders who met Mr Desh Prabhu discussed the issue of renomination of sitting party MPs. When a minister from East Godavari district sought to know about his renomination, Mr Jatinder reportedly told him that renomination of sitting MPs is not guaranteed and or else there would be no need to carry out such an extensive exercise throughout the country by the emissaries.
He reportedly also informed all that Mr Gandhi has entrusted several agencies for feedback on all the Lok Sabha segments, including conducting surveys to know the pulse of the people, their views on the sitting MPs and preferences for a new candidate.
He seems to have cited an example of denying a ticket to a former deputy chief minister from Gujarat for the Assembly elections. Rahul Gandhi will take the final call on the candidates based on the inputs he receives from various quarters.
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Tiwari says won’t contest polls now
Amita Verma
Lucknow, Dec. 2
Veteran Congress leader N.D. Tiwari on Sunday clarified that too much should not be read into his growing proximity with the Samajwadi Party since he had always found himself close to the socialist ideology. “I admire Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is an able politician and want to see him leading the country,” he told reporters after a breakfast meeting at Mr Yadav’s residence on Sunday.
Asked whether he would join the Samajwadi Party and contest the upcoming LS elections, Mr Tiwari said, “I will not contest any election now. I am already 88-year-old and will be 90 in 2014 when elections are due and this is not a favourable age to contest polls.”