New Delhi:
With much discontentment over election ticket for sons and daughters of senior leaders in Maharashtra, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has withheld the name of four such candidates, including that of Rajendra Shekhawat, son of President Pratibha Patil.
The Congress high command has had a tough juggling act to do, but the biggest challenge has been the President's son seeking a ticket from Amravati, where the sitting MLA is a minister and also a two-time winner.
Sources say for the moment Sonia Gandhi has withheld Shekhawat's name, along with that of Amit Deshmukh, former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's son and Praniti Shinde, union minister Sushil Kumar Shinde's daughter.
Sunil Deshmukh, the sitting MLA from Amravati, meanwhile, is holding on to the belief that the Congress may not clear the name of the President's son as the party candidate from his constituency.
"The only reason for him to get ticket is that he is the son of an influential family...I will be a sad and shocked man if Congress doesn't nominate me," a disturbed Deshmukh told NDTV, after reports that the Congress has decided to field the President's son at his expense.
The senior Congressman still believes he will be nominated from Amravati and not the President's son, saying he has "full faith in Sonia and Rahul Gandhi" and that "they will do justice to me."
Deshmukh said his claim was "legitimate and judicious" and pointed out that in 1995, "Devisingh Shekhawat lost deposit contesting from Amravati". He said the President's son had not stayed in Amravati for any length of time.
Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan insists the Congress has not given ticket owing to people's political lineage and suggested that the President's name not be dragged into party matters.
The Congress high command has had a tough juggling act to do, but the biggest challenge has been the President's son seeking a ticket from Amravati, where the sitting MLA is a minister and also a two-time winner.
Sources say for the moment Sonia Gandhi has withheld Shekhawat's name, along with that of Amit Deshmukh, former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's son and Praniti Shinde, union minister Sushil Kumar Shinde's daughter.
Sunil Deshmukh, the sitting MLA from Amravati, meanwhile, is holding on to the belief that the Congress may not clear the name of the President's son as the party candidate from his constituency.
"The only reason for him to get ticket is that he is the son of an influential family...I will be a sad and shocked man if Congress doesn't nominate me," a disturbed Deshmukh told NDTV, after reports that the Congress has decided to field the President's son at his expense.
The senior Congressman still believes he will be nominated from Amravati and not the President's son, saying he has "full faith in Sonia and Rahul Gandhi" and that "they will do justice to me."
Deshmukh said his claim was "legitimate and judicious" and pointed out that in 1995, "Devisingh Shekhawat lost deposit contesting from Amravati". He said the President's son had not stayed in Amravati for any length of time.
Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan insists the Congress has not given ticket owing to people's political lineage and suggested that the President's name not be dragged into party matters.
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