With opinion polls showing an anti-Congress mood sweeping the nation, several senior Congress leaders including Union Ministers P Chidambaram, GK Vasan, Manish Tewari and Jayanthi Natarajan are reluctant to contest the forthcoming lok Sabha polls.
While Tewari is not keen on contesting from ludhiana and is looking for a “safer” seat, Chidambaram himself is not willing to contest but wants the ticket for his son Karthi from Sivaganga. Chidambaram wants a Rajya Sabha berth for himself, source said. The final decision on Chidambaram will be taken by the party on Thursday. Sources in the Congress said that in the meeting of the Tamil Nadu Screening Committee on Tuesday Jayanthi Natarajan also reportedly “turned down” the offer to enter into the poll fray.
Sources say even Rajasthan PCC chief Sachin Pilot is not keen on contesting lok Sabha elections given the party’s drubbing in the Assembly polls in the State three months ago. If he opts out, his seat, Ajmer, may go to Moradabad MP Mohammad Azharuddin. A restless Azharuddin, who is keen to contest the lok Sabha polls again, had even approached Trinamool Congress for a ticket from West Bengal, however, TMC is reportedly not ready to accommodate him.
Tewari, who is reportedly eyeing the Chandigarh seat, has said that the party “should not give tickets to those who are facing even allegations of corruption.” This is seen as a pressure tactic to deny ticket to local MP Pawan Kumar Bansal, who had to resign from the Union Cabinet following corruption charges. However, the second list, likely to be announced shortly, may include Bansal as the Congress candidate from Chandigarh.
“It is unfair to call Bansal tainted. No charge sheet has been framed against him. BJP has been leading a diatribe against him, but the fact is that there are no charges against Bansal,” party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said defending Bansal at the AICC briefing. Surjewala appeared to suggest that there was no similarity between the cases of Bansal and Suresh Kalmadi or former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan.
The phenomena of senior Congress leaders developing cold feet came to the fore in West Bengal, too. The State Congress leadership is finding itself in a hopeless situation where finding candidates for the upcoming lok Sabha elections is concerned. Sources in the PCC on Wednesday said an incensed High Command has decided to field greenhorns following war veterans like Manas Bhunia, Pradip Bhattacharya and Shankar Singh’s refusal to take on the Trinamool Congress in the electoral arena.
Bhunia is a former PCC president and sitting MlA from Sabong in West Midnapore while Bhattacharya, also a former PCC president, is Rajya Sabha MP. Shankar Singh is the president of Nadia district Congress and a former MlA. The only Congress leader who has kept the workers upbeat is Somen Mitra who resigned from Trinamool Congress following his differences with Mamata Banerjee and rejoined the Congress recently.
Mitra who “never lost a battle” in his whole political career is fighting from the Kolkata North lok Sabha seat. He is up against Trinamool heavyweight MP Sudip Bandopadhyay and BJP State president Rahul Sinha. CPI(M) has fielded Kolkata Metropolitan Corporation Opposition leader Rupa Bagchi from this seat which is likely to witness a close fight.
“Rahul Gandhi is unhappy with the way some senior leaders have given excuses to stay away from contesting. This does not augur well for the party’s organisational cause as the rank and file will not find the enthusiasm to descend on the field,” said a PCC member who is also contesting the elections.With the Congress’ voter percentage dipping to a frightening 6 per cent from 14-15 per cent in 2011, its leaders do not want to risk losing their reputations in their Assembly constituencies insiders said.