Pressure from the rank and file in Rajasthan as well as senior party leaders has forced the Congress to reopen the list of 120 names that was reportedly shortlisted by the Manmohan Singh-led screening panel. The committee will now offer alternative names for most of the 200 assembly seats.
The task to complete the list might spill over to Thursday. The final list will be prepared at the November 7-8 meeting of the central election committee to be chaired by Sonia Gandhi. But the party might withhold about 15-20 names till the last minute "for tactical reasons."
The decision to offer alternative names came in the wake of protests that the party may not change most of the sitting MLAs. The party’s state functionaries had suggested that nearly one-third of the legislators be dropped.
Observers sent by the AICC too had reportedly suggested this. In fact, there were complaints that the screening panel did not even have the observers' report before it when it met.
The exercise of including additional names has extended the selection process.
Notwithstanding this, the Madhya Pradesh pattern is expected to be followed in Rajasthan too, with only one member of a political family being allowed to contest. Accordingly, senior leaders like Nawal Kishore Sharma and Parasram Maderna are said to have opted out in favour of their sons.
{{/usCountry}}Notwithstanding this, the Madhya Pradesh pattern is expected to be followed in Rajasthan too, with only one member of a political family being allowed to contest. Accordingly, senior leaders like Nawal Kishore Sharma and Parasram Maderna are said to have opted out in favour of their sons.
{{/usCountry}}