Congress fielding J P Aggarwal from North East

NEW DELHI: The anti-Sheila Dikshit lobby of the Delhi Congress finally had its way when Congress announced its replacement candidates for the constituencies of North-East and South Delhi on Friday.

Rajya Sabha MP and Delhi Pradesh Congress president J P Aggarwal will be contesting from the North-East Delhi parliamentary constituency where Jagdish Tytler was fielded earlier. Sajjan Kumar, who was fielded from South Delhi, had the last laugh when the party decided to field his brother Ramesh Kumar in his place.

Both Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler had to be withdrawn in the wake of protests by Sikhs following CBI���s clean chit to Jagdish Tytler in connection with 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Their names were cleared by the party���s central election committee headed by Sonia Gandhi, and announced on March 21. Their manes were withdrawn on April 9, after mounting pressure following the shoe-throwing episode and fear of adverse electoral impact in Punjab.

In the intervening days, both Mr Tytler and Mr Kumar met with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and some assurances of rehabilitation were apparently made. While Tytler had indicated that the Delhi chief minister and factions in the Congress had worked in his axing, Mr Kumar lobbied for his son Jag Parvesh and brother Ramesh Kumar; he is believed to have conveyed to the leadership that he can���t be written off easily.

Delhi chief minister is believed to have pushed for Yoganand Shastri, who is Speaker in the assembly and a Dikshit loyalist. However, Sajjan Kumar���s influence in South Delhi and three other constituencies���North West, West and Chandni Chowk���proved to be something that the party could not ignore. The North West, and West parliamentary constituencies were carved out of the erstwhile Outer Delhi constituency following the delimitation exercise. Sajjan Kumar is representing the constituency in the current Lok Sabha.

���It was a considered decision. It was made after keeping all aspects in mind,��� party spokesman Ashwini Kumar said. Sajjan Kumar���s brother, Ramesh Kumar, was formerly MLA representing the Shahbad Daulatpur seat in North-West Delhi.