THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Going by the recommendations of the V D Satheesan panel, KPCC president V M Sudheeran on Saturday issued wide-ranging guidelines through a circular for the selection of the Congress nominees for the three-tier panchayat elections, slated to be held in November.
Party ward committees have been empowered to come up with the choice of candidates, with a cardinal principle of winnability in the polls. The KPCC will also come out with a common calendar for fulfilling the candidates’ selection exercise as per the norms and deadline.
The circular calls for a transparent approach in the selection of candidates with public acceptance and winnability, good character and loyalty to the party. New faces and youth should be given more representation in the candidates’ list. A notable directive is that independent candidates who can be loyal and committed to the party shall be fielded in the polls, but without dashing the prospects of eligible and winnable candidates from the party rolls.
Candidature will be strictly denied to those who are involved in non-political criminal cases and involved in corruption. In view of the mandatory 50 per cent reservation for women contestants, women will be avoided from being put up in general wards.
Priority should be given to Mahila Congress and party workers in the women’s reservation wards. The practice of spouses contesting in the same ward by turn should be discouraged. The entire responsibility for the selection of candidates will rest with the sub-panel which clears the list. If it is found later that any defeat suffered by the party nominee was owing to the failure in candidates’ selection, the responsible sub-committee will face action. Those who have undergone disciplinary action from the party on various counts, including contesting the polls as rebels and elected representatives who had defied the party whip during 2010-15 should not be given tickets, the circular underscores. Mandalam/block presidents and co-operative society/bank presidents should resign from the posts in the event of getting elected as the three-tier panchayat presidents or municipal chairmen.
Mandalam/niyojakamandalam/municipal sub-committees should be formed before October 5 and the DCCs should submit them before the KPCC for approval, says the circular. District/corporation sub-committees should be formed on the basis of consensus, before October 1.
Tackling Rebel Menace
In an earnest attempt to stall any rebel menace in the polls at the instance of party men, the circular insists that party rebels pitted against UDF candidates and anyone in the party promoting such elements directly or indirectly would be dealt with sternly.