Little choice​, reluctant leaders: ​​Congress ​losing perception game?

After storming to power with a brute majority two years back, the Congress seems to be losing the perception game before the May 19 polls. The party seems to be at its wits in finding winnable candidates in a majority of seats.

Though party president Rahul Gandhi has decentralised the ticket allotment process, the new system has not ended party’s old troubles. The members of state screening committee are rooting for loyalists, survey reports of AICC and state government are conflicting and senior leaders are shying away from a contest. Despite three meetings of the state screening committee, including one with Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, consensus still eludes the party on four seats. No wonder party’s campaign has yet to take off in full steam.

With little to choose from, the four-member screening panel comprising chief minister Amarinder Singh, state Congress president Sunil Jakhar, state affairs in-charge Asha Kumari and KC Venugopal (secretary, organisation) did not object to the three names proposed by Amarinder that got Rahul’s go-ahead.

In Faridkot, the party wanted to field a mazhabi Sikh as the dominant community has so far got no representation in the four reserved seats. It found one in serving SP Rajinder Singh but ticket to a rank newcomer would have ruffled feathers of old-timers. So, Mohd Sadiq, who had backing of the CM, sailed through.

In Fatehgarh Sahib, the choice was between a former bureaucrat, Amar Singh, who lost in state polls and sitting Bassi Pathana MLA Gurpreet Singh GP. With winning credentials of one not better or worse than the other, Amar Singh was considered a better choice than a sitting MLA to avoid a bypoll. Also, he had the CM’s support.

In case of Khadoor Sahib, the options were equally bleak. Amarinder and Asha were batting for Dimpa. Jakhar consented. Ramanjit Sikki was not willing to contest and former minister Inderjit Singh Zira’s Panthic credentials do not make him a better candidate. Also, his son, Kulbir Zira, was suspended by the party for indiscipline in January.

Akali gameplan derails Cong campaign

On Ferozepur and Bathinda, the cat and mouse game between Congress and Akalis is still on. Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal’s poll balloon of fighting from Ferozepur and retaining wife, Union minister Harsimrat Badal, from Bathinda, is to keep the Congress guessing and grounded its poll campaign in these seats. While Rahul is not willing to buy Asha Kumari’s idea to field Singla from Bathinda, the minister says he is not keen on contesting.

The Akalis are rubbing it in too. Harsimrat and Sukhbir are daily daring Congress leaders to contest from their own home turfs. Sukhbir has been daring Jakhar to contest from Ferozeopur (Jakhar has switched poll turf to Gurdaspur) and Harsimrat her estranged brother-in-law, finance minister Manpreet Badal, who has expressed his unwillingness to fight polls. Harsimrat has been provoking Manpreet saying he was scared of losing the election owing to his “unpopularity”.

On Saturday, it was Amarinder that Harsimrat challenged to fight from Bathinda. Local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu’s wife Navjot Kaur too has refused to fight from any Punjab seat after being denied ticket from Chandigarh. Former MLA Kewal Dhillon’s name from Sangrur was not approved despite Amarinder arguing that voters of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) too will come to the Congress as Venugopal maintained Dhillon was not the “best candidate”.

Rahul again deferred candidature of Manish Tewari from Anandpur Sahib seat as he was a “deserter” in the last polls. And this, a senior party leader, said should be a warning for those shying away from fighting the elections. “Rahul is still sore at Tewari for refusing to contest in the 2014 elections. Despite the entire central election committee (CEC) backing him, including Sonia Gandhi and former PM Manmohan Singh, Rahul stood his ground. Those refusing to contest this time should heed the warning. They also need to think what message are we sending out to the voters,” a senior Congress leader said, requesting anonymity.

Blurb: Party’s campaign yet to take off as party struggles to field winnable faces, Akalis keep it guessing on key seats

Quote

Rahul’s reluctance to field Manish Tewari should be a warning for those shying away from a contest.

A senior party leader