Rajasthan Congress may issue first list of candidates by mid March

Congress Election Committee headed by PCC chief and deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot will meet on Wednesday to discuss Lok Sabha candidate panels. The party is expected to issue first list of candidates on ‘safe seats’ by mid March.

Pilot was made committee head before Rajasthan Assembly elections. Former LoP (leader of Opposition) Rameshwar Dudi and Food and Civil Supply minister Ramesh Meena are the co-chairman and convenor of the committee respectively while chief minister Ashok Gehlot is a member of the committee.

The meeting will ponder over names of candidates for 25 Lok Sabha seats. It has been learnt that the meeting unanimously shall pass a proposal giving authority to Congress president Rahul Gandhi to take a final call in the selection of the candidates in order to reduce chances of objections by local leaders on certain candidature. 

A similar process was adopted by the committee before the Assembly elections, and CEC (central election committee) after consulting with Gehlot, Pilot and Dudi had finalised the list.

The Congress sources said that first list of Lok Sabha candidates may be released by mid March. The seats will be those where ‘suitable’ candidate faces no objections. The party has been discussing the candidates names for almost two weeks. Gehlot, Pilot and Rajasthan incharge Avinash Pande along with senior leaders, ministers have already deliberated candidature by taking feedback from local leaders earlier this month in marathon meetings. 

The deliberations were followed by meetings at district levels, of them many witnessed indiscipline with mishandling among the candidates and supporters.

Congress faces severe factionalism that could mar poll prospects of the party in the coming elections. 

The party has already faced its adverse affects when its tally stood at 99 seats in the Assembly elections while not only senior leaders but the media surveys were predicting 130-150 seats.

Lok Sabha Polls

• PCC chief and deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot will meet on Wednesday to discuss Lok Sabha candidate panels. 
• The party is expected to issue first list of candidates on ‘safe seats’ by mid March.