15 Nov 2002
CONG, BJP SUFFER CANDIDATES'
SELECTION PANG
From Jal Khambata
NEW DELHI: After three days of
bluff that the partial list of the Congress candidates for the
Gujarat Assembly elections is ready and saying that it will be
released "tomorrow" that never came, it was sought to be
covered up with a "caveat" on Friday tha release date
cannot be disclosed.
Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhavi,
however, tried to perpetrate the lie that the Central Election
Committee (CEC) chaired by Congress President Sonia Gandhi had
already cleared the first set of names at its meeting on Tuesday.
At
the AICC Press briefing, Singhavi said: "Substantial part of the
Gujarat list close to 80 is final. Other names are also in advance
stage of finalisation. The CEC is holding another sitting on Saturday
for the purpose."
He, however, hastened to add, what he
described as a "caveat," that the CEC would certainly clear
rest of the names on Saturday but he cannot disclose when the list
will be made public. "It is a matter of political strategy not
to announce time and place for release of the list," he
said.
Everyone in the Congress knows that it is almost
impossible to keep the list secret once finalised as those involved
in the selection are bound to sound out own men getting or not
getting the ticket ahead of the official announcement and hence
Singhavi's claim that the list will be ready on Saturday is accepted
by the aspirants camping here with a pinch of salt.
Singhavi's
remarks have also led to a speculation that the leadership may clear
the list on Saturday or in the next few days but the list would be
kept a closely guarded secret and given to Gujarat PCC chief
Shankarsinh Vaghela to release it in Ahmedabad just a day or two
before close of nominations on November 25 ensuring that the
candidates get the authorisation well in time for filing before the
returning officers for the party symbol.
Intense infight among
the Central leaders in view of the lobbying by various senior party
leaders from Gujarat wanting a bigger share for own candidates has
held up the selection but nobody will officially admit that selectors
are themselves divided and fighting among themselves.
However,
since AICC general secretary Kamal Nath, aided by Vaghela, had jumped
the gun Tuesday night after the CEC meeting to tell the waiting
reporters that 75 names have been finalised and so that farce has
been kept all these days.
Political expediency cited by
Singhavi is the latest ploy adopted by the party to explain delay in
release of the partial list of those supposed to have been already
selected.
The party sources said that in any case it is going
to be a straight fight between the Congress and the BJP and hence
each would like to know who are the candidates of the rival party in
which constituencies before opening own card.
Sonia Gandhi
initially wanted to release the list at least three, four days ahead
of filing of nominations but she appears to have ultimately yielded
to the party's senior leaders pointing out that the Congress
tradition is not to release the list early as it may not only give
advantage to the rival parties but those denied the ticket may also
jump into the fray from other parties or as independents.
The
BJP is holding its Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting only on
Monday and that has also compelled the Congress not to go public with
own list even if finalised and to wait for the BJP to release its
list first.
Since the BJP leadership is still fumbling in
resolving the fight between Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his
predecessor Keshubhai Patel, even the BJP list may be delayed as both
will compete intensely for getting the ticket for own
supporters.
Added to this is the reported refusal of Keshubhai
to let his son be a candidate from the constituency he represented in
the Assembly so far as he would like to contest himself and if he
should not since he is already a Rajya Sabha member and then he is
insisting that Modi should also not contest as either can enter the
House later through a byelection.
Keshubhai's shrewed gameplan
is quite clear. Despite Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani and
BJP President M Venkaiah Naidu declaring Modi as the chief
ministerial candidate, Keshubhai wants to perpetuate his stand made
public earlier that the chief minister will be decided only after the
elections by the BJP MLAs. END