Patil to look after party election affairs in the state;NCP

Dehradun, Dec 20 (UNI) Union State Minister for Rural Development and Parliamentary Affairs Suryakanta Patil has been given responsibility of Uttaranchal Nationalist Congress Party-in-charge by NCP High Command, in view of Assembly Election in the state, NCP State President Suryakant Dhasmana said here today.

Mr Dhasmana told reporters the prerogative to select candidates for the election has been conferred to the NCP State Parliamentary Board. He disclosed many Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders had contacted NCP High Command expressing their desire to contest election on an NCP ticket in the state, however they had been directed to contact the State unit first.

''The party is not averse to giving ticket to those willing leaders if it finds potential of winning the election in them,'' Mr Dhasmana said.

He said the party was not looking into contesting in all the 70 Assembly seats in Uttaranchal. '' The number totally depends on the number of candidates found with a winning potential,'' he said. He said that two of its candidates Raghunath Singh Negi from Vikasnagar and Jagpal Singh Saini from Laldhang has been finalised. We are looking for the other candidates, he said adding the last date of the submission of applications has been slated to December 31,2006. Mr Dhasmana said State Parliamentary Board after finalising the list of candidates would recommend it to the Central Parliamentary Board for final perusal. He revealed the party in the state was not averse to forging an alliance with other like-minded secular parties.

Lashing out at the BJP in the state Mr Dhasmana said that its 'Satta Parivartan Yatra' had no significant effect on the public. He took a dig on Congress Government for advertising its 'false' achievements through large hoarding costing exhorbitant vates.

Mr Dhasmana expressed his concern over the deferment of the meeting of all political parties to discuss various aspects of the election. He urged the Election Commission to consider declaring the model Code of Conduct in time without coming under any political pressure.

UNI/LPT LS RS1650