New Delhi: Senior Congress leaders in Maharashtra are lobbying for tickets for their sons, daughters, wives and other relatives in the upcoming state Assembly elections, ignoring that the party had won merely two seats in the Lok Sabha polls.
According to sources, the party’s campaign committee chief, Mr Narayan Rane, wants his son to be fielded while PCC chief Manikrao Thakre is trying hard for a nomination for his son. Former chief minister Ashok Chavan, also a sitting Lok Sabha member, wants his wife to get a ticket while former Mumbai Congress chief Kripashankar Singh has been lobbying for his son to be the party candidate.
They said these leaders have succeeded in including the names of their relatives in the screening committee. The AICC’s central election committee is expected to meet anytime after the Election Commission announces the poll schedule for the state.
Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, who is leading the party’s campaign from the front, is looking for a safe seat.
He has already made it clear that he will fight the elections this time.
This is because he has not fought any election since 1999. He may contest from one seat but this would not be an easy battle for him for two reasons.
One that he has antagonised ally NCP and, two, that local leaders in his home district have not been comfortable with him.
On the other hand, the rival Shiv Sena-BJP combine has made it clear that they will put up a serious candidate against the chief minister, who has been known as “Mr Clean” in Maharashtra.
Although a section of the central leaders wants fresh faces to be given tickets, the state Congress views that “old is gold” and could deliver in the crucial electoral battle.
This means that the party can renominate sitting MLAs and may field close relatives of leaders under the pretext of “elective merit”.
