Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot
As Rajasthan gets into election mode, the race for tickets is also hotting up. And the ruling Congress has made it clear to ticket seekers that those who win with a margin of less than 1000 votes will be axed from the party.
In the 2008 elections, the Congress got 96 seats in the 200-member Assembly and the BJP got 76 with no party crossing the halfway mark of 100. The Congress formed the government with outside support.
So this time, to fight the anti-incumbency wave, each seat is crucial for the Congress and much depends on ticket distribution.
"Of course, winnability is the main criteria, and a clean image. The party will also see how popular a candidate is with people and the party," said Congress spokesperson Archana Sharma.
Congress sources say the party will not give tickets to those sitting MLAs whose victory margin was less than a 1000 votes last time.
Like Education Minister Brij Kishore Sharma who won the last election with a victory margin of just 580 votes. But Mr Sharma is hopeful that Congress will give him a second chance. "If I get a ticket this time I would like to fight from Hawa Mahal again," he said.
Mr Sharma, the MLA from Hawa Mahal constituency in Jaipur, had to face the ire of people last week as he reached there for a function. The locals were apparently angry over lack of development ion the area.
Apart from Mr Sharma, there are eight other sitting MLAs who did not get 1000 votes more than their nearest rival in the last election. These leaders are now hoping that they get a party ticket this time.