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The Congress screening committee for Tamil Nadu has decided to let the party High Command decide on the candidature of Finance Minister P Chidambaram from Sivaganga.
While the screening committee has sent Chidambaram’s name to the Central Election Committee of the Congress, they believe the decision is best left to the top leadership.
“We don’t know what is in his mind. Let the top leadership decide,” a senior Congress leader said when asked about the decision on Sivaganga.
Rajya Sabha MP Mani Shankar Aiyar’s name also figures in the list that the screening committee sent to the Congress’s Central Election Committee (CEC) on Tuesday night. Aiyar had lost to AIADMK in the 2009 elections.
The three-hour-long meeting of the screening committee, chaired by the Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, has sent a list of about 60 people to 39 constituencies in Tamil Nadu. It is learnt that in the eight sitting seats, the party has not suggested any other names, except in Dindigul, where the PCC President BS Gnanadesikan has also staked claim. NSV Chitthan is the sitting member from Dindigul.
Sources said the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) was asked to take a decision on Gnanadesikan’s candidature.
Vasan not to contest Party leader and Shipping Minister GK Vasan has already said that he will not contest the elections. He had said that the delay in finalising the strategy and candidates has affected the party’s work in Tamil Nadu.
Despite Vasan’s publicly voiced doubts, the State leaders expressed confidence on facing the elections without any alliances.
“We have a strong base in Tamil Nadu. We are happy to fight alone,” Gnanadesikan said.
A section of the Congress’s effort to stitch a last-minute alliance with the DMK did not succeed, following the opposition by DMK leader MK Stalin. Chidambaram had said in Sivaganga the other day that the Congress can face elections alone and seek votes telling people about the party’s achievements.
Kerala The process of the screening committee for Kerala will also be completed by Tuesday night. Sources indicated that most of the sitting MPs from Kerala will get ticket this time.
“We do not have much time for surprises,” a senior leader said. However, the list may see a couple of young candidates and a woman leader, the leader added.
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