Senior Congress leaders ready with their list of candidates in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh

New Delhi, Oct 22: All claims made by Congress president Rahul Gandhi of transparency in ticket distribution in forthcoming Assembly elects have fallen flat as there is free for all kind of situation in the Congress on the issue. Senior leaders from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are demanding for bulk tickets for their supporters as usual and state in-charge and screening committee surrendered by showing their helplessness.

Sources said that senior leaders have their own list of candidates and putting pressure on the leadership to get names from the list approved. To get their list approved, these leaders are camping in Delhi from very long which is impacting election campaign in their respective states. The unity campaign of Rahul Gandhi seems to have failed to influence these leaders. A senior party leader quipped that all the unity is shown only for photo opportunity.

Ever since CD on the haggling of ticket has been released, there is apparent tension between state party in-charge P L Punia and state president Bhupesh Baghel. The Bharatiya Janata Party has already declared 77 out of 90 seats taking a clear edge over the Congress in Chhattisgarh. Sources said that Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath, former chief minister Digvijay Singh and CLP leader Ajay Singh tried to make a group but it failed on the issue of ticket distribution. In-charge of the election campaign committee Jyotiraditya Scindia is also entangled in the same exercise. Former MPCC chief Suresh Pachauri is not expecting more than 10-12 seats for his supporters by showing good bonding with Kamal Nath and Scindia.

On the other hand Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan has already indicated a big chunk in the ticket distribution. Sources say that he also wants to ensure that Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot must not get half the number of ticket what he gets. He also wants Pilot must take the responsibility of satiating the other groups by distributing tickets from the remaining seats. But Pilot is not ready to relent as he feels that no better chance could be than this to become chief minister of the state.

The way senior Congress leaders are fighting over distribution of tickets, political experts are apprehensive that if the Congress would be able to properly utilise anti-incumbency against the three BJP-rules states.