Mumbai: Congress is unlikely to repeat candidates who had lost by more than 5,000 votes in 2014 for the upcoming Assembly elections. State Congress chief Ashok Chavan himself indicated this on Saturday to his party workers. There are almost 35 such leaders across the state, who lost the previous Assembly elections by this margin but are still asking for tickets. This would also be an attempt to bring young and new faces.
“It’s time to give a chance to new faces. People keep losing again and again despite receiving many chances. So, there should be discipline in this regard,” Mr Chavan reportedly said during an interaction with Congress workers in Akot, Akola district, Western Vidarbha. This is his first indication of how state Congress is thinking about ticket distribution in the coming Assembly elections.
Sources said that the state Congress has prepared Assembly-wise data of the last three elections. It has found that in almost 30 to 35 constituencies, the party’s candidates have lost by more than 5,000 votes. A few of them were repeated election after election.
“Identity politics is becoming more apparent in the state. So new faces with different communities must be given a chance to contest. This gives a positive message about the party to those communities, and votes get added everywhere. To revive the party in the state, this is the only option now,” said a senior leader of the party.
The elections to the Lower House will be held in October 2019. But there is buzz that if the Sena remains firm on its stand on contesting all elections on its own, the Assembly elections will be held with the general elections in April 2019 only. So, Congress is preparing for both situations.
