Fighting resentment within the party after failing to field many aspirants as well as facing an uphill task to end the dispute over seat adjustment with the alliance partner, Congress is now worried how to convince the cadre to seek votes for Samajwadi Party leaders.
Interestingly in many of the districts, the party has not fielded any candidates which further creates problem for the leaders how to ask the local office bearers to keep themselves on toes so that the party could maintain their presence at least in the constituencies where the party is confident of victory in the next Parliament elections in 2019.
The most surprising move of the party which shocked several senior leaders is not to field any candidate in Faizabad, the Parliament constituency of former State president Nirmal Khatri.
Khatri, who as president was against any kind of alliance, is now busy motivating his colleagues to actively seek vote for candidates of their alliance partner Samajwadi Party.
Khatri is also heading State Screening Committee which is responsible to select candidates and forward it to Central Election Committee for final selection but he failed to ensure even a single ticket for Congress candidates in his own Parliament constituency.
Sources said Khatri also not wanted any of the leaders close to him to contest elections from Faizabad or even from neighbouring Ambedkarnagar district, from where Rahul Gandhi kicks off campaign in last Assembly elections.
“Khatri did not want any Congress candidate either from his native town in Faizabad or Ambedkarnagar as he feared that in case the leader wins the election than his election for the Faziabad Parliament seat might be at risk in 2019. Besides Khatri, another former Congress MlA Ishwar Chandra Shukla had not even arranged a single ticket for any party leader from Siddharthnagar district.
Even Shukla was keen to contest but Rahul dropped his candidature forcing him now to seek vote for SP. Sources maintained that besides Faizabad, Ambedkarnagar, Siddhathnagar, Congress High Command has also not fielded candidates in Azamgarh, Etawah, Mainpuri and other places.
Sources said to mobilise the cadre to work in favour of the SP, senior leaders are now making efforts to convince the local leadership. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is camping in lucknow to cool down the anger. He is pressuring the Faizabad district president Ramdas Verma and Ambedkarnagar district president Merajudeen to support for success of SP candidates in the district.