Civic polls: Congress to form panel of candidates for civic polls

Congress insiders say the move is aimed at placating the ticket hopefuls in the party which is battling factionalism. “It will pacify at least some of them….but the final selection will certainly cause many a heartburn,” a party leader tells HT.

DEHRADUN: Gearing up for the urban local body (ULB) polls to be held in April, Uttarakhand Congress is set to from panels of candidates from different categories for mayoral and chairman positions.

Congress district committees were asked to zero in on ‘strong candidates’ from general, women, scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and backward classes categories, and form the required panels. (File Photo)

This is being done as the status of reservation of seats for the polls has not been declared yet, Congress state president Pritam Singh said.

ULBs in the state are undergoing expansion these days with nearby rural areas being incorporated in their municipal limits. However, the process of finalising delimitation (carving out of new/modification of areas in existing wards) and fixing of reserved seats in various ULBs, are yet to be completed.

“We want to be battle-ready for the polls and keep a list of best candidates from all sections handy so that we can announce the final contenders as soon as the reservation status is announced,” Singh said. District committees were asked to zero in on ‘strong candidates’ from general, women, scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and backward classes categories, and form the required panels.

Party insiders, however, said the move was aimed at placating the ticket hopefuls in the party which was already battling factionalism. “It will pacify at least some of them….but the final selection will certainly cause many a heartburn,” a party leader told HT.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had clinched 57 seats, Uttarakhand Congress won only 11 of the state’s 70 assembly seats. Through the civic polls, the Congress is now looking to regain its lost base. A number of party members have already directly or indirectly staked claim to various seats.

Uttarakhand Congress chief spokesperson Mathura Dutt Joshi said creating panels of probable candidates has been a ‘tradition’ which helps in selection of the “best possible candidates” from among the many ticket aspirants. “The party should weigh in all the factors and political equations before finalising the candidates,” Congress leader Azad Ali, who is seeking a mayoral ticket from Dehradun, said.