New Delhi:Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will chair a meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee on October 7 to finalize tickets for the high-stakes Madhya Pradesh assembly polls amid a tussle over the nominations among senior state leaders.
“See, the chances of a Congress victory are high. It is natural then that there is a rush for tickets. I see that as a positive thing but it also makes resolution a bit ticklish,” AICC secretary in charge of Madhya Pradesh Sanjay Kapoor told ETV Bharat.
“We have done a lot of surveys. The regional leaders have a right to suggest names because they want the party to win. We are trying to find a balance between the various factors while deciding on the tickets. Ultimately, winnability is what matters. A lot of clarity will emerge after the CEC meeting on October 7,” he said.
According to party insiders, the party’s Screening Committee headed by AICC functionary Jitendra Singh had recently met in Delhi to discuss and recommend the probable names but could not arrive at a conclusion.
The reason is that every senior party leader in the poll-bound state wants a share of the pie, in terms of tickets for their respective nominees, as the probability of the Congress coming to power is high among the pollsters.
Though state unit chief Kamal Nath and former chief minister Digvijay Singh have been leading the show in Madhya Pradesh, the AICC has been trying to maintain a balance between regional leaders like Ajay Singh, son of former chief minister and party stalwart Arjun Singh, Arun Yadav, Working President Jitu Patwari, veterans Suresh Pachauri and Kantilal Bhuria, CLP leader Govind Singh and CWC member Kamaleshwar Patel.