Parties sit on nominee lists

The Telegraph (Kolkata), March 24, 2009

Bhubaneswar, March 23: Major political parties, including the Congress and the BJD, have failed to finalise their candidates’ list in Orissa even as the notification for filing nominations for the first phase of polls on April 16 was issued today.

Though the list of Congress candidates was expected to be announced last night, it was not out till this afternoon. State Congress president K.P. Singhdeo, who returned from New Delhi yesterday afternoon, said the list was likely to be announced any moment.

However, party sources said the candidates’ list could not be finalised because of differences at the screening committee meeting, chaired by A.K. Antony in New Delhi. Singhdeo and the AICC general secretary in charge of Orissa, Ghulam Nabi Azad, had two sets of lists. Azad was said to be having a survey report with him too.

The primary reason for the delay in finalisation of candidates was the difficulty faced by the leadership to accommodate a few high-profile aspirants, who did not conform to the AICC guidelines. According to the guideline, applicants who had lost elections for three consecutive terms, cannot be nominated as party candidates.

PCC working president former Union minister Bhakta Charan Das and state campaign committee chief and former Union minister Srikant Jena come under this category. They were aspirants for Kalahandi and Balasore Lok Sabha seats, respectively.

Sources said angry partymen from Balasore, opposed to “outsiders” as candidates, manhandled Jena yesterday near Azad’s residence in New Delhi.

Another obstacle was family feud over party tickets. Sources said former chief minister and sitting Koraput MP Giridhar Gamang had applied for a renomination, while his wife and sitting Gunupur MLA Hema Gamang was the aspirant for the Nowrangpur Lok Sabha seat.

PCC media cell chairman Kailash Acharya, however, attributed the delay in finalising the list to a more “democartic” selection process. “There are four stages in the selection process starting from district level and the central leaders were holding wide-ranging consultations,” he explained.

The BJD’s list, too, was taking time as it has seat adjustments with Left parties, NCP and JMM. And the second round of seat-sharing talks between the BJD and the Left remained inconclusive yesterday.

BJD secretary-general and chief spokesman Damodar Rout said the list was getting delayed as talks were still on with supporting parties.

BJP announced candidates for three Lok Sabha seats and 45 Assembly seats. Upendra Majhi has been nominated from Koraput, former MLA Shanti Devi from Aska and retired IPS officer Ashok Sahu would contest from Phulbani Lok Sabha seats.