Search the Internet           Tips

Congress presidential tussle may land in court

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The fierce battle of one-upmanship raging for the Congress president's post is likely to land in court.

Indications surfaced on Wednesday that likely challenger Jitendra Prasada, dissatisfied with the "incomplete" procedures for the chief's election, scheduled for November 11, is preparing to move the courts to remove what he says are unfair advantages for incumbent Sonia Gandhi.

"Prasadaji is concerned that Congress central election authority chairman Ram Niwas Mirdha has failed to complete the electoral list of pradesh Congress Committee delegates for the chief's election. He had urged that the list be notified before 1000 IST today [Wednesday]. That has not happened. So it is likely that he will move the courts," said a supporter Avinash Chaudhary.

Chaudhary indicated that Prasada, to gain a locus standi in the complaint, would contest the Congress presidential election. Gandhi's supporters are doing their utmost to see that she is re-elected unopposed.

Mirdha had set a deadline (October 25) for receiving the list of PCC delegates. But with little prospect of his self-imposed deadline being met, he then extended it to "a couple of days more".

So far, the CEA has received the lists of PCC delegates from only Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Mizoram and Haryana. Lists from major states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra have not been received, according to Mirdha himself.

Congress members from various states, including Bihar, have demonstrated openly outside Mirdha's office alleging that bogus lists of DCC and PCC delegates have been prepared. DCC presidents are also members of the Congress president's electoral college.

The Prasada camp does not appear to be rattled by reports in a section of the media that he had been caught in a trap of his own making by daring to challenge Gandhi.

"There are concrete indicators that nothing is being spared by the ruling clique to ensure that Sonia is re-elected. Prasadaji's letter to Mirdhasahib has brought that out in the open. So if planted stories are appearing in the media against Prasadaji, nobody should be surprised," said Begum Noor Bano, a Prasada acolyte.

Prasada was initially encouraged greatly when his salvos against the Gandhi camp had been welcomed not only in his native Uttar Pradesh but elsewhere too. He had pointed out that efforts were being made by her loyalists to ensure that she was elected unopposed. But since then the loyalists seem to have won over many disgruntled Congress members who were regarded as closet rebels.

While the loyalists are trying to convince sceptics that the Congress is a democratic organisation and any leader can contest the president's post, they are working hard behind the scenes to discourage any challenger.

The "coterie" around the Congress president, chiefly working committee member Arjun Singh, deputy parliamentary party leader Madhavrao Scindia and Gandhi's personal assistant Vincent George, is working overtime to make Prasada bite the dust. Prasada's old foe, former Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Salman Khursheed, too is involved in the campaign.

Gandhi's loyalists have succeeded in softening several 'closet dissidents'. But it is unclear whether senior party politician R K Dhawan, whom Prasada is trying to pit against Gandhi, will oblige him. "If that doesn't happen for whatever reason, Prasadaji will have no option but to contest against Sonia and give some hope to like-minded party members that there is someone who believes in inner-party democracy," Chaudhary said.

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report