Cong starts giving mandates for 2nd phase, ruckus at party HQ

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Congress on Thursday started giving mandates to candidates for the second phase of state Assembly elections. The party has opted for discreet handing of mandates instead of declaration of candidates` list, fearing outbreak of protests and rebellions. The last day for filing of nominations for the second phase is tomorrow. Chinnan Gandhi told reporters here that he had been given the mandate for Vadodara City. Mandate document certifies that the candidate official represents the party. But the exercise could not avoid noisy scenes at the party office here.

Supporters of Suraj Mangalkar, who had sought ticket from Asarva here, today ransacked the party office after learning that he had been denied the ticket. Workers gheraoed Congress Legislature Party leader Shaktisinh Gohil`s car for more than fifteen minutes at Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, the Congress office. They also sat in front of the office and chanted `Raghupati Ragav Raja Ram`. Congress has given ticket to Rajan Priyadarshi, a retired IPS officer, from Asarwa, a seat reserved for Scheduled Caste candidate. BJP has fielded former IAS officer R M Patel. Asarwa is traditionally a BJP stronghold. Parliamentary affairs minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja won from there in 2007 assembly polls when it was a general category seat. However, post-delimitation, calculations have changed. The constituency has a sizable population of members of Scheduled Castes. As to BJP not fielding a single Muslim, Gohil told reporters that Narendra Modi and his party said something and did something else. "His `sadbhavana` was political, only in words and not from heart," Gohil said. PTI