The Congress on March 24 named Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union Minister P. Chidambaram as its candidate from Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga constituency.
He was among the Congress candidates announced for nine constituencies on March 24 afternoon. The party has changed its candidate for Maharashtra’s Chandrapur seat.
The Congress high command had not been able to finalise the candidate for Sivaganga because of competing claims made by Mr. Karti Chidambaram and another former Union Minister E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan, who was elected from the constituency in 1999.
“The decision was delayed because the high-command has taken a decision not to field the heirs of political leaders. The issue came up for discussion even on Friday, and no decision was taken on the issue of fielding the sons of Ashok Gehlot and Kamal Nath and the wife of Amarinder Singh. Mr. Karti will be the candidate and the announcement can be expected at any time,” said a senior Congress leader to The Hindu earlier.
Mr. Karti Chidambaram is facing trial in corruption cases, including the INX media money laundering case. Incidentally, a Delhi court has extended till March 25 the interim protection to Mr. Karti Chidambaram from arrest as well as that of Mr. P. Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis scam cases filed by the CBI and the ED.
The Congress had announced names late on March 22 for the eight seats it’s contesting from Tamil Nadu, and the lone seat from Puducherry, as part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance.
Grumbling over Chandrapur
On March 23, an audio tape surfaced where Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan is purportedly heard saying that he wanted to resign as his views on candidate selection were not being heeded by the leadership.
When asked by reporters, Mr. Chavan said he was not aware of such a tape, but conceded that there was discontent in the party regarding the choice of Mr. Bangade as Congress candidate for Chandrapur.
In the audio clip which went viral, a party worker named Rajurkar from Chandrapur is heard complaining about the choice of candidate when the party is sure to win in Chandrapur.
Mr. Chavan is heard telling him to speak to Mukul Wasnik, the Congress’s Central Election Committee head.
“Nobody is listening to me and I am in a mood to resign,” Mr. Chavan is purportedly heard saying further.
He is also heard telling Mr. Rajurkar to ask Mr. Bangade not to contest. In the end he is heard asking Mr. Rajurkar to share Mr. Bangade’s contact number.
At a press conference in Mumbai where the Congress and NCP announced their seat-sharing pact in Maharashtra for Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Chavan was asked about the audio clip.
“There is discontent over Chandrapur seat,” he said, adding, “These are private conversations between me and my party workers. I have not heard the audio clip you are talking about.”
Asked about his purported comment that he was feeling like resigning, Mr. Chavan said, “I have not made any public announcement.”
(With PTI inputs)