List fallout: Dissent in Cong, BJP

While in some cases local leaders turned up at the state office to complain against some names floating around as probable candidates, others were miffed with the names of their leaders being dropped in the final list, reports HT Correspondent.

A day after its list of 48 candidates was announced, discontent in the Congress party was far from over.

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While in some cases local leaders turned up at the state office to complain against some names floating around as probable candidates from the pending 22 seats, others were miffed with the names of their leaders being dropped in the final list announced on Wednesday.

“Local leaders from Sangam Vihar protested outside the AICC office today. They were upset about the candidature of IPS officer Amod Kanth from the seat,” said a party source. K.K. Sharma was earlier named as the candidate from Sangam Vihar Assembly seat. Supporters of Sharma and Om Prakash Bidhuri, another local leader, protested against the decision.

Sitting Congress MLA from Trilokpuri, Brahm Pal who has been dropped in favour of MCD councillor Anjana Parcha, said he would sit on a dharna on Friday.

Similarly, supporters of Devraj Arora, who was earlier considered as the candidate from Shakur Basti seat, also held a protest outside the AICC office, waving black flags. S.C. Vats was named in the final list.

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chairman Jai Prakash Aggarwal, however, said most party members were happy with the choices made in the final list endorsed by the AICC.

“Protest by ticket hopefuls is normal. But the party has given tickets to candidates who can win,” said Aggarwal.

However, the protests are not limited to the Congress. Discontent was brewing even amongst BJP leaders after many were denied ticket.

On Thursday Poonam Azad, wife of former cricketer Kirti Azad, who was the Delhi BJP vice president, resigned from the party after she was denied a ticket from the Patparganj Assembly seat. The party has fielded former Delhi University Student’s Union president Nakul Bhardwaj from Patparganj.

Azad had lost against Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit from the Gole Market constituency by a massive margin in 2003 Assembly elections as well.

Coming out of the BJP national office at Ashoka Road after submitting her resignation, Azad said, “This is unfair. Despite making tall claims, the party has failed to give adequate representation to people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.”

The party had announced candidates for 69 out of the 70 seats for the Assembly elections.

On Thursday Sukhbir Panwar, all India national secretary of Nationalist Congress Party, also joined the BJP.

Earlier Congress leader Ramji Singh Neta joined the BSP after the party denied him ticket.