Rahul Gandhi`s pet project of introducing US style `primaries` to elect candidates for Lok Sabha polls through direct feedback of grassroot party workers has fallen flat.
|Last Updated: May 17, 2014, 12:07 AM IST|Source: PTI
New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi`s pet project of introducing US style `primaries` to elect candidates for Lok Sabha polls through direct feedback of grassroot party workers has fallen flat.
Not a single such nominee from the 15-earmarked seats could win his or her seat.
Prominent among those who lost are Gandhi`s key aide Meenakshi Natarajan from Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh, AICC Communication Department Chairman Ajay Maken from New Delhi and former Delhi PCC chief J P Agrawal from North East Delhi.
The Congress Vice-President had brought in the new experiment with much fanfare to empower grassroot leaders to fight the Lok Sabha elections and had been maintaining that if the experiment bore results, it will be implemented nationwide in future elections.
At an All India Congress Committee meeting on January 17, Gandhi had spoken of his plan to "finalise candidates by asking party workers".
The parliamentary seats where candidates were selected through "primaries" are New Delhi and North-East Delhi (Delhi), Guwahati (Assam), Bhavnagar (Gujarat), Bangalore North and Daskshin Kanadda (Karnataka), Indore and Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh), Wardha and Latur (Maharashtra), Bikaner and Jhunjhunu (Rajasthan), Sant Kabir Nagar and Ambedkar Nagar (Uttar Pradesh), and Kolkata North (West Bengal).
Under the primaries, a representative section of party workers, leaders and others, decided the Congress candidate from their constituency by participating in a simple voting process.
The party had said that the new process was in line with the Congress Vice President`s focus on opening the system by "ending the high command culture" and empowering the grassroots workers.
It had said that the process would continue as it was part of the long-terms plans to bring sweeping changes in ticket distribution and other processes in the party.
The project had got into a controversy soon after it had begun with Union Ministers Kapil Sibal and Krishna Tirath initially opposing the move to bring their constituencies under this exercise.
Later, it was noticed that most of the constituencies under this experiment chose sitting Members of Parliament, senior leaders, their kith and kin or close associates, virtually defeating the purpose of the exercise.
The experiment witnessed several controversies including the selection of constituencies, charges of bogus voting and use of money power in some states.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.