From now on, the focus of media and Congress workers will be on whether the relatives of the leaders would be given party tickets to fight elections. For, the Karnataka Assembly elections have set a precedent in this regard.
The twin guidelines adopted by the AICC Central screening committee, and later, the Central election committee (CEC) have sealed the fate of many aspirants, and kin of leaders: One, no ticket to the kin without base; Two, no ticket for those who lost Assembly polls twice.
According to top sources in the AICC, the two-pronged formula was mooted by screening committee chairman Digvijay Singh and AICC’s Karnataka-in-charge Prithviraj Chauhan.
Why were these guidelines applied? A CEC member told Deccan Herald, “For the first phase of elections itself, there were 12 requests from leaders for tickets to their kin, many of them for Bangalore. There were not many requests for second and third phases. There would have been a big hue and cry from our party workers if we had buckled under pressure. We decided that those who have no base and wanted tickets only on the basis of being somebody’s relative won’t get the ticket.”
Among those who could not get tickets under this clause included the son of AICC general secretary Margaret Alva (for Sarvagnanagar or Khanapur), grandson of C K Jaffer Sharief (Shivajinagar) and brother in law of R L Jalappa, MP (Chikkaballapur). The brother of another general secretary B K Hariprasad (Malleswaram) withdrew in advance, while the other leaders tried till the end.
In the second phase, a ticket sought by the son of Venkatesh Naik for Devdurga is understood to have been kept pending.
There is however, a mixed reaction to this condition. Said one leader, “This should not be the general condition. Just being relative of somebody should not be a disqualification if one has a base.”
Another questioned the action of Digvijay Singh himself in demanding and securing a ticket for his son in law in the recent Gujarat Assembly elections. “Besides him, the son of Union minister Shankarsinh Vaghela, brother of another MP Jasubhai Barad and a father and son duo were given tickets. Why was this guideline not applied for Gujarat ?” he asked.
However, Congress’ test will be to sustain this guideline in the coming elections in other states like Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Delhi, Rajasthan etc, which go to polls later this year.
It is true, that it had to start somewhere- but the next of kith and kin disqualification on the basis of having a base is not logic.It may so happen that the base was his dad or mom or relatives on whom people had faith and continue to revere the family by fear or respect. In essence th epolicy should apply all across. even to Gandhi family. They were not born leaders but were groomed so by the King makers!
