 "Cong decides 25 assembly candidates in last minute")
Utter confusion ruled the state unit of Congress, which finalised the candidates for 25 of the remaining 147 assembly seats it proposed to contest barely hours before the end of the deadline for filing of nomination for the second phase of polls in the state.
Unlike the earlier installments of party’s candidates list, which were released by the All India Congress Committee (AICC), the last round of names to contest the assembly election was not declared in the public till this morning.
Instead, the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Jayadev Jena called up the successful ticket seekers individually and informed them about the candidature, raising suspicion about the transparency in the selection process.
One such name was Bapi Sarkhel to contest from Paradip assembly constituency, home to many large industries including the refinery project of Indian Oil Corporation, pellet plant of Essar Steel, and mega steel project of South Korean giant Posco.
The candidature of Sarkhel, a beneficiary of contracts from Posco and jailed for his alleged role in a violent clash between the supporters and opponents of Posco project resulting in the death of of a person, was being opposed vehemently by many senior leaders of the party, including those of Jagatsinghpur district.
Sarkhel will contest with state health minister and vice-president of ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Damodar Rout in this high profile constituency.
In another major development, the Congress named former MLA Arun Dey as its candidate for Balasore assembly constituency, after he severed his ties with BJD, a party he joined barely 10 days ago. Dey was an aspirant for a BJD ticket. But after being denied of this opportunity, he resigned from the party late Tuesday evening.
Congress also nominated former BJP leader Uma Ballav Rath as its candidate for Puri assembly seat. Apart from announcing 25 seats, it revised candidates for three places announced earlier.
The party has faced major dissatisfaction over ticket distribution this time. On Tuesday, several ticket aspirants along with their supporters attacked the houses of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Jayadev Jena and Union minister Srikant Jena complaining about discrimination over selection of candidates.
Unlike the earlier installments of party’s candidates list, which were released by the All India Congress Committee (AICC), the last round of names to contest the assembly election was not declared in the public till this morning.
Instead, the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Jayadev Jena called up the successful ticket seekers individually and informed them about the candidature, raising suspicion about the transparency in the selection process.
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Sources said, the hush-hush manner used by the state party unit leaders to finalise the last tranche of candidates was because of the inclusion of some controversial names in the list.
One such name was Bapi Sarkhel to contest from Paradip assembly constituency, home to many large industries including the refinery project of Indian Oil Corporation, pellet plant of Essar Steel, and mega steel project of South Korean giant Posco.
The candidature of Sarkhel, a beneficiary of contracts from Posco and jailed for his alleged role in a violent clash between the supporters and opponents of Posco project resulting in the death of of a person, was being opposed vehemently by many senior leaders of the party, including those of Jagatsinghpur district.
Sarkhel will contest with state health minister and vice-president of ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Damodar Rout in this high profile constituency.
In another major development, the Congress named former MLA Arun Dey as its candidate for Balasore assembly constituency, after he severed his ties with BJD, a party he joined barely 10 days ago. Dey was an aspirant for a BJD ticket. But after being denied of this opportunity, he resigned from the party late Tuesday evening.
Congress also nominated former BJP leader Uma Ballav Rath as its candidate for Puri assembly seat. Apart from announcing 25 seats, it revised candidates for three places announced earlier.
The party has faced major dissatisfaction over ticket distribution this time. On Tuesday, several ticket aspirants along with their supporters attacked the houses of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Jayadev Jena and Union minister Srikant Jena complaining about discrimination over selection of candidates.