Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday clarified that the allotment of party tickets for contesting elections is the sole prerogative of the Congress national president Sonia Gandhi.
Setting aside the speculations that the Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC), headed by election strategist Prashant Kishor, will be involved with the screening and selection process of the party candidates, Capt Amarinder made it categorically clear that IPAC has no role in the process and it has only an advisory role limited to the strategy.
“Party administration, management and implementation of the party programme and strategy has been and will always remain the sole prerogative of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee,” he clarified.
Referring to the application form issued by the party for the ticket aspirants, he said that it is not for the first time that party has asked for applications and the practice has been going on for a long time.
He added that this time, there were some changes and additions made in the form, which is a normal routine as circumstances change from time to time.
Interestingly, the party, apparently for the first time, has asked the ticket seekers to take a “pledge” and give an undertaking that they will not contest polls on any assembly seat against Congress nominee if they are not “chosen”.
“I hereby give an undertaking and take a pledge that if am not selected for any constituency on behalf of the Congress, I will not contest on any seat against any Congress candidate in this election and will fully support the official Congress candidate,” read the performa of attested declaration issued by Punjab Congress which is to be filled by ticket aspirants along with application form for nomination for 2017 Assembly polls.
Besides, aspirants also have been asked to attach detail of two voters including their mobile numbers, address, voters’ signature from every booth in the assembly constituency from where they wish to contest.
Party, through the application form, is also asking ticket applicants to share details about whether they had contested any elections and whether they had left the party and if so, why and when they rejoined the party.
The application forms, for the candidature for 2017 Assembly polls in Punjab, have been prepared by the PPCC with the inputs from polls strategist Prashant Kishor. Notably, owing to “wrong” ticket distribution, the Congress faced the second consecutive defeat in 2012 as it failed to check the rebels.
Elaborating on the ticket distribution, Capt Amarinder said that the PPCC will screen the candidates and submit the list to the AICC, which will refer it to the Central Election Committee (CEC), headed by the Congress president Sonia Gandhi, which is the final authority.
PPCC president also clarified that neither it nor the AICC has authorized any other agency for any process of screening or selecting the candidates.