The impact of the Hathras rape case is being felt even in Bihar Assembly elections with Congress postponing announcement of its list of candidates for the upcoming polls in the state with few party leaders asserting tickets should not be given to tainted leaders.
AICC sources said the Congress Election Committee was to finalize and release its list of candidates by Monday evening but it was unable to do it and the matter has been placed before the party high command to take a view.
“The party wants to keep away from the controversy of proposing the names of tainted candidates, particularly those related to cases on women issues. Our top leadership have been fighting on this front and most recently over the Hathras,” said the party sources. With Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra leading the campaign against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, senior party leaders are of the view that giving tickets to the rape and crime against women related cases will boomerang and erode the moral of the grand old party which taken on the Hathras incident by attacking the government tooth and nail.
Further explaining the reasons for the delay is the name of shortlisted candidates like Brajesh Pande (for Govindganj constituency) tainted with rape and other crimes against women, attracting protests from several leaders most notable being senior Congress leader and former Union minister Girija Vyas.
Sources have also said that candidates for Harnaut, Sultanganj, Hisua and Tekari have also been held.
Senior Congress leaders Tariq Anwar and Sushmita Dev have also said that the party should not give tickets to leaders accused with charges like rape. Sushmita Dev has been strongly advocating against party fielding candidates who have such charges against them.
Congress is fighting the elections for 70 constituencies in alliance with RJD for the state elections.