Cong to give tickets to sitting MLAs, new faces

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Bhubaneswar: The state Congress was first off the blocks Monday as the party started the exercise to finalise its candidates for next year’s assembly elections.
The party has decided to give tickets to all 15 sitting MLAs, new faces and leaders with the “winnability” factor. This was informed by Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Niranjan Patnaik after a meeting of the Pradesh Election Committee (PEC) at the Congress Bhawan here.
“The first phase of PEC meeting was held today. We have discussed on various agendas including the guidelines and criteria for candidate selection. But, nothing has been finalised,” he said.
Asked about criteria for selection of candidates, he said, “New and fresh faces will be given tickets this time and the sole criteria is winnability.”
PCC vice-president Pradip Majhi said, “This time, we have scrapped the bio-data system for selection of candidates. The tickets will be distributed on the basis of an internal survey report.”
Names of at least three to four candidates for each assembly and parliament constituency will be recommended to the Screening Committee of All India Congress Committee (AICC), of which one will be finalised, he added.
According to sources in the party, it was decided at the meeting that party’s candidates who had lost deposits in the last general election will not be provided with tickets. However, the candidates, who lost the last poll with a very close margin may also get another chance to prove themselves, they said.
There will be no discrimination in the allotment of party tickets like previous years, another senior leader of the party Tara Prasad Bahinipati said.
In the afternoon, the Campaigning Committee meeting of the PCC was held under the chairmship of Bhakta Charan Das. During the meeting it was decided to invite Rahul Gandhi to hold at least four big rallies in the state to counter ruling BJD and BJP. It was also decided to launch protests, hold padayatras and agitations including Odisha bandh in the coming days against both Centre and BJD government here.
Senior leader Srikanta Jena said, “We will expose the 60 families, who have looted the valuable minerals of the state. We will publish their names very soon.”