State Congress leaders, who were earlier busy in grooming their tentative Assembly constituencies, are now in a fix over the arrival of the eminent poll strategist Prashant Kishore in the scene. Besides, the recent spat between the chief minister Harish Rawat and the state party president Kishore Upadhyay over the list has added further to their anxiety. Prashant Kishore being given the free hand can hardly be challenged by them as he has been given the charge to ensure return of the party to power. It is learnt that the party high command asked the ticket seekers to bring five names of the grass-root party workers along with their addresses and contact numbers from each polling booth of the constituencies they have their eyes on to enable the newly roped- in poll strategist to assess the extent of their popularity.
Sources said that the method of assessing popularity is hardly credible. “It would have been far better had PK conducted a survey on his own, irrespective of what the state leaders are claiming,” said a party insider.
Sources further said that AICC having empowered Kumari Selja to short- list the candidates and send the panel to them is adding confusion to the already murky scenario. “Things are ominous as Harish Rawat and Kishore Upadhyay are heard to have locked horns in the presence of Selja. The state party chief who has remained at the loggerheads with the CM on many issues is learnt to have turned furious over the names of the CM loyalists being thrust in the list. By way of retaliation, Upadhyay is said to have expressed his strong reservation over the CM trying to give nomination to his offspring, affirming that he would not brook such things which might spite the prospects of the party,” said the party insider.
Notably, several leaders close to CM Rawat who did not bother to include their names in the panel which was sent to the high command have staked their claim straight to the national leadership through their political mentor. They cited the instances of Upadhayay having kept himself out of the panel though he is eager to get into the electoral contest. Though the high command would take the final call things are heating up in the state party roost with the rivals set to fight the battle to the last.