Cong may deny ticket to MP in Bhandara

NAGPUR, December 17: Congress Lok Sabha member from neighbouring Bhandara, Praful Patel, may not get the party ticket in the ensuing mid-te...

NAGPUR, December 17: Congress Lok Sabha member from neighbouring Bhandara, Praful Patel, may not get the party ticket in the ensuing mid-term Lok Sabha election, as his detractors are lobbying hard for his exclusion from the poll arena.

Patel, a staunch supporter of Maratha strongman, Sharad Pawar, was believed to be in the forefront of a move by some Congress MPs to split the Congress and help the Bharatiya Janata Party form a government at the Centre. Patel and some members of this group were exposed when the idea failed to materialise.

Since then, the Congress leadership is not in favour of re-nominating them as party candidates for the coming elections even though most of them have electoral merit.

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According to reliable sources, Congress president Sitaram Kesri feels that if members of this group are given an opportunity to become MPs again they might help the BJP instead of Congress in the post-elections period.

Sources further said that the party leadership is aware that the Congress may lose the seats, represented by these MPs, if they are denied the ticket. “But the party leadership is willing to take the risk of losing rather than helping the traitors get elected,” admitted a senior Congress loyalist, close to Kesri.

The party loyalty of three other MPs from the Pawar camp in the State, Suresh Kalmadi (Pune), Datta Meghe (Ramtek) and Madan Patil (Sangli) is also under doubt. They were also believed to be members of the group, trying to split the Congress. However, the party leadership may treat Meghe and Patil leniently and let them contest the elections on a Congress ticket as they were not seriously involved in the split’ move.