Congress in a bind as tainted leaders seek Lok Sabha tickets

NEW DELHI: Suresh Kalmadi is pushing for his kin to replace him from Pune Lok Sabha seat despite resistance from Congress, pressure that is symptomatic of how the party is caught in a cleft stick over the great corruption debate ahead of elections in Maharashtra.

Facing the taint of the Commonwealth Games, Kalmadi, it is learnt, wants his daughter to replace him from Pune. While the Congress brass does not want to risk allegations of compromising on corruption by fielding Kalmadi, the former sports administration czar is unrelenting in pushing for his kin.

That is not the only tainted candidature testing Congress nerves.

Sources said the party is toying with the name of former chief minister Ashok Chavan from Nanded. The Marathwada region is turning barren for Congress after the death of Vilasrao Deshmukh and Chavan is an option to fill the leadership gap, his "Maratha" roots being an additional asset to his portfolio.

Chavan, however, is accused in Adarsh housing scam and had to resign as CM when the issue broke out.

Sources said there is sympathy for Chavan in the party and the absence of leadership in state Congress is another factor pushing sections within to suggest him for the LS battle.

According to Congress sources, this has heightened the dilemma in Congress. Picking Chavan could open the floodgates as Kalmadi may cite it to demand similar treatment. That Kalmadi is not seeking ticket for himself but for a family member would only strengthen his claim.

Congress managers feel the party runs the risk of serious complications if it relaxes the standards on dealing with tainted persons.

Rahul Gandhi personally intervened to make corruption an issue by seeking a reversal of Maharashtra government's decision to reject the investigation report in the Adarsh scam. A volte face could revive allegations that Congress was soft-pedaling on graft.

Sources said there are other leaders watching the development. Former Mumbai Congress chief and home minister Kripashankar Singh could throw his hat in the ring if tainted candidates are picked.

Singh is under investigation in a illegal assets case and was sacked as the head of Mumbai Congress.

The only deterrent keeping out tainted names from staking claim to party ticket is the unwritten rule that individuals under a cloud would not be considered for elections. But given the demand of political considerations, there is a view that charges against leaders like Chavan be overlooked.

It is quite a tightrope walk between accountability and real politik.