Uttarakhand polls: Congress screening committee discusses candidates for 70 assembly seats

Senior Congress leader Harish Rawat said the party`s candidates are in a position to win the majority of the seats in the upcoming Assembly polls, which are due in 2022.

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Harish Rawat said that the Uttarakhand Congress screening committee discussed candidates for all 70 assembly seats and the final decision on the list of candidates will be tentatively taken by January 4.

After the screening committee meeting here on Wednesday, Harish Rawat told reporters, "It was the first meeting. More meetings will follow. Had a detailed discussion on all 70 seats, merits of candidature. A final decision will be sent to CEC possibly on January 4. The date is not confirmed though." 

Harish Rawat further said the party`s candidates are in a position to win the majority of the seats in the upcoming Assembly polls, which are due in Uttarakhand in 2022. 

Congress may not apply 'one family, one ticket' formula in Uttarakhand

Even as the Punjab Congress screening committee has decided to follow the `one family, one ticket` formula for assembly polls in the state, the party leaders in Uttarakhand may not be keen on such a formula for the state. The party leaders are of the view that the winnability of a candidate will be the biggest factor in the ticket distribution for the Assembly polls in the state.

According to reports, many senior Congress leaders in Uttrakhand are demanding party tickets for their family members. Former state Chief Minister Harish Rawat is demanding party tickets for his son and daughter while Pritam Singh, who is Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, is seeking a ticket for his son, an ANI report said citing Congress sources.

Uttrakhand Congress state chief Ganesh Godiyal said that no discussion has been done on the issue of tickets of family members of party leaders. 

"It is my belief that if two persons from a family are in public life if they are popular then it can be decided. Every state has its own criteria and party will discuss and a common decision will be followed," he is further quoted as saying by ANI report.

Avinash Pandey heads the AICC screening committee for Uttarakhand which also includes Devendra Yadav, Ganesh Godiyal, Harish Rawat, Rajesh Dharmani and Pritam Singh.

Harish Chaudhary, who is AICC in charge of Punjab, reportedly said that the screening committee has decided that tickets will be given to only one member from a family in the state. 

Regarding the assembly election in Punjab, Sunil Jakhar, Chairman of the campaign committee of Punjab Congress on Wednesday said that the winnability of a candidate will be the biggest factor in the ticket distribution for the Assembly polls in the state.

The former Punjab Congress president also said that other important factors will be to make sure that only one person from one family gets a ticket to contest elections.

"The most important factor for the distribution of tickets is the winnability of a candidate. Another important factor will be that only one person from one family gets a ticket to contest the election," Jakhar said after the Screening Committee meeting. 

(With Agency Inputs)