The list of Congress candidates for the 2012 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh will be finalised in May this year. This decision was taken at a coordination committee meeting of the Pradesh Congress, attended by AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, here on Tuesday.
Mr. Gandhi was of the view that ticket distribution should be made early.
He laid stress on a concerted struggle and unified organisation ahead of the elections. It was necessary to keep a watch on implementation of the ongoing Central schemes in the State to ensure that their benefits reached the common man, he said. Mr. Gandhi asked the party leaders to raise the issue of corruption at the local level.
Briefing the press on the two-day meeting, AICC general secretary in charge of the State Digvijay Singh said the candidates would be selected on the proposals of the district Congress committees and no individual application would be entertained. “Two observers of the PCC election committee and the district units will submit the proposals to the State Election Committee, which will discuss and review the proposals in Lucknow.”
The proposals would then be sent to the AICC screening committee. Its meeting would be held in Lucknow and the final decision taken by the Central Election Committee.
The selection exercise would be completed by May 31, Mr. Singh said. Each of the AICC observers had been given the responsibility of 40 constituencies and they would submit their report by March 31.
Charge sheet against Mayawati government
Among the other decisions taken was constitution of PCC units in all Assembly segments to monitor the flagship programmes and launch an agitation on the issues of law and order, and corruption and high-handedness of the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party leaders. Pradesh Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi said a charge sheet would be submitted to the Governor at 2011-end.
On price rise, Mr. Singh said the prices of vegetables could not be regulated by the Centre and the State governments should step in to control prices. He said the National Democratic Alliance government had in 2002 decided to deregulate petrol, diesel, kerosene oil and cooking gas, whereas the United Progressive Alliance government deregulated only petrol.
