BHUBANESWAR: Even as the members of the screening committee of Congress started the process of second phase candidate selection for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections at Sambalpur and Baripada, hundreds of aspirants made a beeline for the residence of OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik here to lobby their case.
Many of the aspirants were dissatisfied with the committee members as they had not called them for interview. The committee is interacting with only two to three aspirants leaving many other disappointed.
Patnaik, however, made it clear that lobbying will have no effect on candidate selection. Winnability will be the only criteria for selection, he said.
Meanwhile, head of the screening committee VD Satheesan will camp at Baripada for two days from Monday for meeting with aspirants and other stakeholders to collect information and opinion on possible candidates.
One of the team members Noushad Solanki will be at Sambalpur Congress office during the same period. Senior leader Jitin Prasad will meet party leaders, workers and aspirants at Congress Bhawan here on Wednesday.
While Satheesan will interact with aspirants and other stakeholders for Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore and Bhadrak Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies in their area, Noushad will collect information on possible candidates for Sambalpur, Bargarh, Sundargarh and Balangir Lok Sabha constituencies and Assembly seats.
Similarly, Prasad will be in-charge of interacting with all concerned for Kandhmal, Jajpur and Sambalpur Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in their areas. Sources said the candidate selection will be finalised in the first week of March.
Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo, who has been appointed as temporary in-charge of party affairs, said Congress will benefit from the anti-incumbency against the Naveen Patnaik Government in Odisha. Besides, Congress will present itself as a better alternative before the people, he added.