JAIPUR: If you thought you had seen every possible twist in the political scenario in India, think again. In, what can be called a first, senior Congress leaders in Rajasthan are scrambling for cover in a bid to avoid sticking their necks out for the Lok Sabha polls. This ironic twist has emerged from the reactions of half a dozen ministers in the Congress government in Rajasthan. Having gained power after a long hiatus, the state ministers fear giving up their seats of power in favour of a Lok Sabha seat.
The move stems from the fact that should the leaders be victorious at the LS polls, they are apprehensive of the Grand Old Party forming a government at the Centre. The Congress is eyeing at least 20 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state, for which they plan to field their senior ministers in the battlefield. On Sunday, National General Secretary and State Election in charge, K C Venugopal presided over a screening committee meeting in Delhi to shortlist the candidates.
CM Ashok Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot were also part of the meeting. While the Congress is certain of retaining half of those seats, it lacks winnable faces for the rest. It is for these seats that the party wants to field its seniors. Vidhan Sabha Speaker C P Joshi, Agriculture Minister Lal Chand Kataria, Mining Minister Pramod Jain Bhaya, Health Minister Raghu Sharma and Vidhan Sabha chief whip Mahesh Joshi were the names discussed.
When asked, Joshi said he has agreed to fight the Lok Sabha polls if he gets a ticket from the Jaipur seat. He said, “I didn’t come forward myself as I had contested the Vidhan Sabha elections as well. If the party wants to nominate me, I will abide by its decision.” According to sources within party, the ministers are unwilling to leave their posts in the state government.
Instead, they have put forward the names of their kin. However, the Congress leadership is firm and has instructed all its leaders to fight the Lok Sabha elections as strongly as the Vidhan Sabha polls. “Winnable candidates will be asked to fight from their constituencies. A list of the panel of candidates will be sent to the Central Election Committee for approval,” said Avinaash Khanna, State in charge of elections, Rajasthan Congress.