Kesri cocky in triangular race

So confident was Kesri that he did not show up in person to formally register his entry into the race, leaving all the paperwork to his appointees in the states and the frontal organisations.

It was Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee chief Jitendra Prasada who took the lead in filing nine sets of papers on Kesri’s behalf, saying “there is no need for the leader to come here in person.” UP sends 1200 delegates, the maximum, to the electoral college that elects the president.

Prasada had not even made his exit when others trooped in, beating drums and raising pro-Kesri slogans. Some disgruntled Haryana partymen, opposed to state unit chief B S Hooda and complaining about bogus elections, tried to raise anti-Kesri slogans. Verbal exchanges led to fisticuffs and the police had to step in, waving sticks to restore order. There was another clash later and a youth ended up with a bloody nose.

Elsewhere, Pawar and others opposed to Kesri were debating on the strategy that they now need to work out for the contest. Pawar declared that there was no going back. “The past is the past. It will not be repeated. That is a closed chapter,” he said on being reminded that he had once pulled out of the race.

A R Antulay, who was the first to file his nomination papers, announced he would withdraw from the race since Pawar had taken the plunge. And Pawar chipped in to say that he would soon meet Pilot and decide how best they should confront Kesri.

But Pilot later said there was no question of his withdrawing to facilitate direct fight between Pawar and Kesri. Pilot has already made plans to tour the country to garner support.

Venkataswamy, who was the main proposer for Pawar, maintained that if Kesri was allowed to head the party, it would surely lose the next general elections. He called for a one-to-one contest between Pawar and Kesri.

He said they were backing Pawar since Sonia Gandhi had declined the offer to lead the party. Others who accompanied Pawar to the Congress office this morning included V C Shukla and Parasram Bharadwaj (both from Madhya Pradesh).

Pawar told newsmen that the party image had been sullied over the years and needed immediate correction. He said that it was the first time in the Congress history that so many complaints about the organisational elections had been received by the AICC election cell on such a large-scale.

He said even the name of Youth Congress president Satyajit Singh Gaekwad was missing from the list of Gujarat delegates. “If this sort of thing continues, what message will we be giving to the youth of the country,” he said.