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Haryana polls
Congress sets tough rules for ticket seekers
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 25
Some sitting legislators in Haryana are set to lose their tickets with the Congress' state election committee today setting tough criteria for the selection of candidates ahead of upcoming assembly elections.

The 12-point criteria finalised at a meeting of the Haryana Pradesh Election Committee today says that sitting legislators are not safe and need to exhibit winning potential to get a ticket.

"Being an incumbent is no guarantee for a ticket. Sitting MLAs should be given priority only if their candidature is suitable (in terms of winnability). Those who repeatedly worked against Congress candidates should not be given tickets," says the note accessed by The Tribune.

This note was circulated to all pradesh election committee (PEC) members today and they were told to furnish candidate preferences per segment in a sealed envelope to PC Chacko, chairman of the Congress screening committee for Haryana, by August 29. Among the rules of the game are - those who lost assembly polls twice in a row; lost the previous election with over 20,000 votes, lost their deposits or secured third positions shouldn't be considered.

"Those who came third should be avoided, but an exception can be made when there is a difference of less than 5 per cent in the votes polled between the first and third positions," the rules say.

The note adds that preference should be given to local candidates and women. Youths should be given more representation and candidates should have a clean record, the note adds.

Besides, there is a feeling in the Congress that the party must promote rank loyalists instead of outsiders. The note reflects this by saying: "Traditional and active Congressmen and workers should be given preference in tickets keeping winnability in mind. Tickets should be given in a way that all castes get due representation."

The meeting was attended by Congress general secretary and in-charge of Haryana Shakeel Ahmad, PC Chacko, Congress secretary and in-charge of Haryana, Asha Kumari, state party chief Ashok Tanwar, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, RS MP Kumari Selja, Haryana ministers Ajay Yadav and Kiran Choudhry. Balbir Shah was the sole pradesh election committee member who was absent due to his prior engagement in Panipat. CM Hooda said the selection criteria had been fixed to select the best possible faces. Sources said the CM didn't suggest any names in today's meeting and would do so along with the other PEC members in a specified format to PC Chacko.