Senior Congress leaders, including sitting MPs and MLAs from across the country, were on Wednesday appointed as observers by the party to start screening applicants for candidates for the municipal elections in Delhi.
Area-wise observers
All-India Congress Committee leader in-charge of Delhi P.C. Chacko announced the names of area-wise observers who will go through applications of ticket hopefuls for the 272 wards. The Congress had received 10,448 applications as of February 19, the last date for applications. The party is expected to start announcing its list of candidates post March 20.
Haryana MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi was appointed observer for north Delhi’s Kirari, former MP from Tamil Nadu Manicka Tagore for Adarsh Nagar, Madhya Pradesh MLA Jitu Patwari for New Delhi and Karol Bagh, former MLA from Rajasthan Ramlal Jat for Mehrauli, former Madhya Pradesh Minister Ramniwas Rawat for Najafgarh, MLC from Maharashtra Satej D. Patil for Krishna Nagar, former Haryana Minister Aftab Ahmed for Badarpur, Bihar MLA Md. Jawaid for Chandhi Chowk, former MP Akhilesh Pandit Singh for Karawal Nagar, Rajasthan MLA Govind Singh Dotasra for Tilak Nagar, former Jharkhand Minister K.N. Tripathi for Rohini, Maharashtra MLA Varsha Gaikwad for Patparganj and Bihar MLA Shakeel Ahmed Khan for Babarpur.
According to Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) officials, the observers reached Delhi on Wednesday and would take about a week to go through all the applications. The Delhi Congress had, for the first time, asked for applications on USB drives in order to make the process paperless. The applicants were also asked to give the names and contact details of five party workers in their wards who would support their candidature.
In addition, the DPCC also set up a control room, from where over 94,000 workers were called to ask for their opinions on who should get the party ticket. About 90% of the work had been completed, according to sources in the DPCC. The control room would give the observers a list of top candidates in each ward for consideration.
