Cong sidelines Antony panel advice, fields party-post holders

NEW DELHI: Everything is fair in love and war, and politics is no exception.

This seems to be the underlying message of Congress in the Lok Sabha elections which has conveniently forgotten the Antony Committee recommendations to rejuvenate the party and make it fighting fit in the electoral battle.

The Antony Committee, formed last year after the debacle of Congress in the Karnataka assembly elections, had recommended that those in-charge of the organisation in the states and the general secretaries should not fight the polls but lead the party and supervise its campaign.

Not heeding to the advice, the party has fielded three general secretaries in the Lok Sabha elections, while several state unit presidents are slugging it out in the polls instead of providing direction to the party in the elections.

Congress general secretaries Mukul Wasnik is contesting from Ramtek in Maharashtra, V Narayanasami from Puducherry and Rahul Gandhi is the candidate from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

West Bengal PCC chief Pranab Mukherjee is contesting from Jangipur, UP Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi is contesting from the high profile Lucknow Lok Sabha seat while Delhi PCC President J P Aggarwal is contesting from North East constituency.