MCD polls: Cong to announce candidates’ list by March 24

It will be another week before the Delhi Congress releases its first list of candidates for the municipal elections. The scrutiny of applications submitted by party leaders staking claim for tickets is delaying the process.

Before the finalisation of candidature for municipal elections, the party will announce its contestant for Rajouri Garden assembly seat, where bypoll is to be held on April 9.

The seat fell vacant after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Jarnail Singh quit to contest the Punjab assembly polls, against Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal from Lambi, held last month. According to a party insider, the Congress may repeat Meenakshi Chandela from the seat.

State unit president Ajay Maken on Thursday said the first list of contestants is expected around March 24.

“We have completed the scrutiny of applications of 200 wards and the procedure of remaining 72 wards is on, which may take another six to seven days. Our volunteers are calling local workers to seek feedback about every claimant to verify information furnished by them,” said the Congress leader.

Maken said that by March 27, when the nomination process will start, the Congress will clear names for 272 wards. “The candidature for Rajouri Garden seat will be approved in a day or two,” he said.

On Wednesday, PC Chacko, the All India Congress Committee representative in Delhi unit, appointed 13 observers to supervise selection process of candidates for all districts.

“These observers are from other states such as Bihar, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Maharasthra, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. They will be consulting block presidents and district level workers before picking candidates,” said a senior party functionary.

Maken said once the names are finalised, the party will start campaigning with special emphasis on door-to-door canvassing. “We will be highlighting ‘failure’ of the BJP-ruled corporations. We will also tell people how the Congress is going to make the civic bodies ‘self- reliant’ financially for effective performance,” he said.