Cong wants to defeat Sushma but has no candidate

10 April 2009
Bhopal: The Congress party, which held a marathon brainstorming session here after its Vidisha candidate Rajkumar Patel's nomination was rejected, is yet to announce a decision on who it will support in the Madhya Pradesh constituency.

It is keen on giving a tough fight to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Sushma Swaraj, party sources said Friday.

"The rejection of Patel's nomination was a setback, but we have worked out a formula to counter it. A proposal to this effect has been sent to the higher-ups in the party and a reply is expected in a day or so," a Congress leader told IANS.

The meeting to rework the party's strategy for Vidisha ended at about 2 a.m. Friday.

Asked if the party plans to back any of the independents or the Samajwadi Party candidate, the Congress leader said: "Wait and watch. We don't want to say anything till the party high command gives a final nod. But it is certain that we will give a tough fight to Sushma Swaraj."

Patel's nomination was cancelled due to a technical reason. He had not submitted the form A in original while filing his nomination last Saturday. When the anomaly was noticed an hour before the deadline, the party rushed a fresh set of papers from Bhopal but failed to meet the deadline and returning officer Sandeep Yadav rejected the nomination.

The Samajwadi Party, which failed to strike an alliance with the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, is hoping that its candidate Chaudhary Munawwar Salim will get the support of the Congress in Vidisha.

"If the secular forces unite to support me at this point of time, we will be able to defeat the communal and fascist forces unitedly and set an example," Salim told IANS.

"I have talked to Patel and sought his support. I am sure the BJP candidate, howsoever big she may be, will be defeated if the Congress accedes to my request," he added.