With only four days left to file nomination papers for the second phase of the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the opposition Congress has yet not finalized the list of party candidates due to a lack of consensus among senior leaders.
Sources said that the Central Election Committee of the Congress will meet here on Monday and Tuesday to choose candidates for the elections to Jammu and Kashmir, where the party believes it to give a tough fight to the BJP after improving its vote percentage in the Lok Sabha elections.
Congress has already declared nine candidates for the first phase while it has to decide on 28 candidates for the next two phases ending on October 1. It will be fighting for 32 seats in alliance with the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) bloc partners, but is engaged in a "friendly contest" with the National Conference in five seats.
Congress fears backlash
The Congress party has yet to release its list of candidates for the second and third phases of the elections in Jammu and Kashmir, despite the BJP having already announced its candidates with minor changes from the initial list. Highly placed sources suggest that the Congress leadership is hesitant to release the list due to fear of a backlash from within the party, similar to what the BJP experienced.
Ticket aspirants lobbying in New Delhi
Sources reveal that almost all ticket aspirants from the Congress party are currently in New Delhi, attempting to utilize their resources and influence to secure the party's mandate. The initial announcement stated that the list of candidates for the second and third phases would be released on August 30, but this has been delayed without explanation.
Urgency to release list before nomination deadline
The Congress leadership must release the list of candidates for the second phase before Wednesday, as September 5 marks the last date for filing nominations. The party's high command has already issued the list for the first phase of elections. The Election Commission has issued a notification for the second phase, with key dates including:
- Last date for filing nominations: September 5
- Scrutiny: September 6
- Last date for withdrawal of candidatures: September 9
The delayed release of the candidate list has sparked speculation about the Congress party's strategy and preparedness for the upcoming elections.
