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Kalmadi loyalists in Pune may find the going tough

This is because their leader would no longer be in a position to ensure the Congress party tickets to them, the key ingredient required to win the civic elections.

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Despite their belligerent approach, Suresh Kalmadi’s loyalists may find the going tough in the run up to the forthcoming Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections in February 2012. This is because their leader would no longer be in a position to ensure the Congress party tickets to them, the key ingredient required to win the civic elections.

With the civic poll to be held early next year, the political survival of most of Kalmadi’s lieutenants is at stake. They have joined hands to ensure their bargaining power in the party. But due to various political factors, it will be difficult for them to survive.

Suresh Kalmadi, with his networking in New Delhi and exceptional organising skills, had been successful in getting his supporters elected in the PMC elections. Kalmadi’s ability to ensure party tickets (candidature) to his supporters in PMC election and to provide logistical support had been a key to his strong support base in the party.

Kalmadi in turn had been using his support base to win Lok Sabha elections as well as to dominate city politics.

A Kalmadi supporter told DNA on Tuesday that their leader would be out of crisis in a few months and his camp would not have any problems. The supporter said Kalmadi’s lieutenants would get elected on their own even if they did not get tickets.

But winning civic polls without the party tickets would not be possible for most of the members of Kalmadi camp. The Congress party has committed voters belonging to Dalit, Muslim and other minority communities. The party has good support base amongst slum dwellers whose population is more than 40% in
the city.

A Congress party ticket in the election ensures one of certain votes. So, the party ticket is crucial and with Kalmadi losing his ability to ensure it for his followers, it would be very difficult for his followers to maintain their unity.

A leader of anti-Kalmadi camp said after the news of Kalmadi’s arrest spread in the city on Monday afternoon, he was continuously getting calls from party workers. The Congress activists have realised that in the changed circumstances, they have to find a new leader who could ensure a ticket for them.

According to a party insider, the Kalmadi era in city politics ended on Monday and new political equations would emerge in the party. When Kalmadi had left Congress in 1998, he had floated an outfit, the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi and fought the Lok Sabha election as an independent candidate with the support of BJP-Shiv Sena.
However, he had lost to Congress candidate Vitthal Tupe. Hence, it will not be easy for the Kalmadi camp to maintain their domination without the party’s support in the next PMC election.

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