The State unit of the Congress is once again confronting fierce infighting over distribution of party tickets to candidates for lok Sabha polls in certain constituencies. Disgruntled leaders feel that in the candidate selection process and in constituency survey, caste equation has been given priority. The party might suffer loss due to such decisions, they said.
The Congress party on Saturday declared the name of nine candidates. Former District Panchayat President Chhaya Verma has been made candidate from Raipur seat. Protesting her candidature, workers have staged demonstration at Congress Bhawan and sent a bundle of complaints to the party high command. Verma was made candidate from Raipur lok Sabha seat, whereas former ministers Mohammad Akbar and Satyanarayan Sharma and Dhanendra Sahu were strong claimants of the seat, party sources stated.
Protest is going on in Bilaspur for fielding Karuna Shukla, who just had joined the party from the BJP. District president Arun Tiwari has openly expressed his disapproval on it and also informed his feelings to State in-charge BK Hariprasad and other leaders. The candidature of ex-MlA Tamradwaj Sahu from Durg seat is also being opposed. The Durg District Congress Committee, by passing a proposal, had demanded not to give ticket to any candidate defeated in the Assembly election.
The supporters of ex-MP Devvrit Singh are discontented with the candidature of Kamaleshwar Verma from Rajandgaon seat where he himself wanted to fight the election, but was not been given ticket. The candidature of Deepak Karma, the son of former leader of the Opposition, the late Mahendra Karma from Bastar is being opposed. Supporters of former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi were in favour of fielding Harish lakhma from this seat.
Premchand Jayasi has been given ticket from Janjgir-Champa seat, whereas, Ravi Bharadwaj, the son of former MP Parasram Bharadwaj, ex-MP PR Khunte and Padma Manhar were the ticket claimants from this constituency. Highest number of names were proposed from Janjgir-Champa seat, but the party deposed confidence on the new face. Several leaders of the party consider candidates of most of the seat as weak. They said that the survey report has not been taken into consideration during selection of candidates. Only caste equation has been given priority, but the party would suffer loss of it, they added.