 Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 17: Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi is going to seek a detailed report for the blunders committed by senior leaders in the distribution of tickets in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections resulting in the worst-ever debacle of the party in the history.
Highly placed sources said that during the oath-taking ceremony of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Rahul Gandhi sought information about reasons for denying the party mandate to Chhamb MLA Satish Sharma. “Although Rahul Gandhi was not much aware of the development of how the mandate was denied to Satish Sharma, he was surprised when informed about the entire episode of how the local Congress leaders for their petty personal and financial interests tried to politically eliminate a mass-based young leader”, sources said and adding, “after the oath-taking ceremony, Rahul Gandhi asked some leaders to give him information about the reasons for worst-ever debacle of the party in the J&K Assembly elections.
As reported earlier by this newspaper, following the party's worst-ever electoral defeat in Jammu province, several senior Congress leaders—who have often styled themselves as the party's key decision-makers—are likely to face disciplinary action.
The Congress high command has expressed deep concern over this historic setback, which has le “Although Rahul Gandhi was not much aware of the development of how the mandate was denied to Satish Sharma, he was surprised when informed about the entire episode of how the local Congress leaders for their petty interests tried to politically eliminate a young leader with a massive following."
For the first time in Jammu and Kashmir's democratic history, Congress managed to secure just one seat in Jammu province. Even in the 2014 elections, previously considered the party's worst showing, Congress still managed to win several key constituencies, including Surankote, Banihal, Inderwal, Gool-Arnas, and Mahore.
According to party insiders, the fallout from election results has seen senior Congress leaders, including the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge and co-in-charges, go off the radar. The party's central leadership is reportedly seeking explanations for this unprecedented failure.
Sources suggest that the high command is preparing to take action against certain senior leaders, who allegedly insisted on contesting in specific constituencies at the expense of younger candidates. The leadership is particularly concerned about the Chhamb Assembly segment, where the party mandate was controversially denied to a deserving young leader, Satish Sharma. Running as an Independent, Sharma went on to win the seat, relegating Congress' official candidate, former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, to third place.
“The high command is demanding accountability from those responsible for granting the ticket to Tara Chand instead of Satish Sharma,” sources revealed. |
