LUCKNOW, June 5: Sharad Pawar and Rajesh Pilot, who are coming to the city tomorrow to canvas for the Congress presidentship, face a formidable task. ``The Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee is with Sitaram Kesri, and his victory is certain,'' State Congress chief Jitendra Prasada declared here today.Both Pawar and Pilot are coming to Lucknow with the hope of mobilising support among the 1,242 UPCC members, who constitute the largest party cadre. But Prasada calls the shots here. Almost 80 per cent of the State delegates who will cast their votes in the June 9 election are his loyalists, and the UPCC chief is firmly with Kesri.Just to leave nothing uncertain, Prasada has even called a convention of the newly elected delegates in Lucknow on June 8, where a formal resolution will be passed supporting Kesri's candidature.However, he told The Indian Express today: ``A consensus over candidature is better even at this stage. All the three contenders should go for a consensus instead of elections, for there is no difference among them over the issues plaguing the party.''Pawar, however, claims to be unfazed. The Maratha strongman is planning to woo UPCC members with his agenda of revival of the country's oldest party. He hopes that as he is coming just two days before the scheduled meeting of UPCC members, he would be able to meet most of the new delegates.Pawar is also banking on a favourable response from the supporters of Narain Dutt Tiwari within the PCC. Tiwari enjoys the support of nearly 125 new UPCC members and is the most prominent party leader in the State after Prasada.Congress Legislature Party leader, and a known Prasada baiter, Pramod Tiwari is managing Pawar's show from behind the scenes in the State. Realising Prasada's hold over the UPCC, his supporters are now trying to secure the second preferential votes for Pawar. ``These will make the difference at the later stage,'' they point out.
