NCP releases final list of 158, says corrupt Cong not in race

New Delhi, Mar 17 (UNI) Releasing its final list of 158 candidates, the Nationalist Congress Party today claimed that it would play a major role in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi which would have a hung mandate after next month elections.

Calling the Congress contest ''of no significance'', NCP (Delhi) president Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said ''declining ticket to 43 of its sitting councillors was testimony to its shaky faith in its leaders.'' ''The main contest in council elections is between the BJP and us. The Congress has no standing as despite its government at all the three places -- MCD, State and Centre -- it did nothing to provide relief to Delhi people when it they faced demolitions, sealing and electricity bunglings by private companies.'' ''What can be said of a party whose two top leaders are at daggers drawn and refuse to even sit with each other, he added.

''Fake assurances on regularising of 1,500 colonies, as told in Rajya Sabha by Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken, removal of 42,000 hutments without any resettlement despite an undertaking in the court, and denial of amenities in extended Lal Dora areas are issues for which the Congress has no answers,''he said.

''Inflated electricity bills, price rise, load shedding, erratic water supply and lack of development are other planks which would see Congress bite the dust,'' said Mr Bidhuri adding that because of this we don't see Congress anywhere in the race.

Besides announcing the second list of 58 new candidates, Mr Bidhuri also released the list of six new candidates, replaced from the earlier list of 100 released on March 14, saying the rest of the seats had been left for the coalition partners.

The NCP leader, who is part of the CPI, CPI (M), Forward Bloc, JD (U), Jan Morcha conglomerate also added that there would be a 'friendly contest' on a couple of seats between his party and Left parties and on about a dozen seats with Janata Dal (Secular) and Jan Morcha.

UNI