JOIN USDikshit upset over role in poll panel
Trouble is brewing in the Delhi Congress with former chief minister Sheila Dikshit reportedly unhappy over being placed under her former junior minister and city unit chief Arvinder Singh in the newly-announced pradesh election committee.
Sources said Dikshit is officially maintaining that she is upset as she was named in the committee without her consent or being sounded about it.
The panel, announced by the All India Congress Committee, also has two other former junior cabinet ministers of Dikshit and its constitution has sent out a strong message about the party’s central leadership reposing full faith in Arvinder Singh to revive the party’s fortune in the coming Assembly polls.
The murmurs over the election committee panel’s constitution have also bared the differences within the Delhi Congress which is currently seen to have two groups, one, close to Dikshit and the other of all those leaders who were allegedly sidelined during her 15-year rule as Delhi chief minister.
A former legislator of the party, perceived to be close to Dikshit, said: “The former governor of Kerala, does not want to be part of any panel but wants to serve the party in other capacity.”
Another reason which the Congress leaders are citing for Dikshit’s disapproval of the new organisational post is her displeasure over the stature of the ordinary member’s post given to her in the poll committee.
“She has been named as just a member of the election committee, whereas, her stature as three-time chief minister is big enough to head the panel,” said a Dikshit loyalist.
A confidant of Arvinder Singh said: “The election committee has been named by party president Sonia Gandhi. Nobody, including Dikshit, would gain anything by over reacting to the decision.”
Mukesh Sharma, chief spokesperson of Delhi Congress, dismissed all talk of any leader being upset over the composition of the newly-formed panels.
“The Delhi Congress is united and is focused on collectively bouncing back in the coming Assembly polls,” said Sharma, a former legislator.
Two other former ministers of Dikshit cabinet – Ajay Maken and Haroon Yusuf – have also been named in the all-important election committee.
Former health minister in the erstwhile Dikshit government, A K Walia, has been made chairman of the manifesto committee.
Yusuf will also head the 24-member publicity committee and has also been named in two other panels – the election committee and the manifesto committee.