AP Congress geared up for elections

By Sharat Kumar

Gearing up the party machinery for the elections, the state Congress on Friday initiated the process of selection of candidates for the LS and Assembly constituencies in the state. As a first step, all the district committees of the party have been asked to send a panel of aspirants for consideration by the PCC.

PCC president D Srinivas wrote letters to all the district Congress and city Congress committees in the state asking them to send the panel of names before February 15. The lists of candidates received from the districts will be scrutinised by the Pradesh Election Committee before it is sent to the Central Election Committee of the AICC.

“The district committees will select the candidates on the basis of their winnability. The social background of the aspirants will also be kept in mind while finalising the names,” the PCC chief said while addressing the media here on Friday. Each DCC would submit a panel of three to four names for each Lok Sabha and Assembly constituency falling in its area.

“Though the final list will be prepared from these panels, selection of candidates outside this list cannot be ruled out. This can happen if the party finds some one more eligible than the ones recommended by the DCC,” Srinivas said. The state committee is expected to send the list before March 1, 2009.

The PCC president was not clear when asked if any of the sitting party MPs and legislators would be dropped. He was also evasive when asked to comment on chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s remark that senior leaders in the age group of 70 and above may face the axe.

The extended meeting of the PCC executive is scheduled to be held on February 8 to discuss the poll strategy. Apart from the CM, AICC general secretary incharge of AP affairs M Veerappa Moily and AICC coordinator for Andhra Pradesh P J Kurien are scheduled to attend the meeting.