Congress in dilemma: Which MP to drop

NEW DELHI: Which of the seven sitting MPs from Delhi should be dropped is the question agitating the minds of the Congress managers who have been tasked to explore the alternatives. The conundrum has only grown trickier after party's initial analysis of the seven seats. Sources say any attempt to bring in a new face is fraught with the risk of altering the finely-balanced caste equation in the capital.

This may open up the possibility of the party going for a change in the "reserved constituency" of Delhi (North-West) represented by Union minister Krishna Tirath. The reserved seat imposes the narrow choice of every party having to field a dalit candidate, thus reducing the complication of making a caste or community calculation.

Delhi (south) and Delhi (west) are also being considered for alternative candidates. "We are still to decide on seat which is most amenable to change," a Congress leader said.

The exercise to revisit the Delhi candidates stems from Congress central election committee's disagreement with the "sitting getting" formula proposed by the panel to screen the candidates. The apex body last week said merely proposing the names of MPs was not enough and there should be a panel of names to pick from.

The Delhi managers are back to the drawing board but the task is complicated by the fact that two sitting MPs -- Ajay Maken (New Delhi) and JP Aggarwal (North-East) -- have won their tickets in the "primaries" voted by party workers.

It renders difficult the task of balancing social balance and winnability. Congress wants to give representation to Jats, Bania, SCs and Poorvanchali communities which are strong voting classes in the capital and would be glad if it can accommodate a Gujjar.

With Aggarwal selecting himself from North-East, Congress cannot opt for a "Bania" candidate from Chandni Chowk, represented by Kapil Sibal. Incidentally, the party can ill-afford two candidates from one community in the cramped Delhi political circuit.

A bania candidate in Chandni Chowk, sources said, would have allowed the party to field a Muslim from North-East, and helped refine its social engineering in the capital.

The party is wondering if it can field a Jat from West Delhi (represented by a Poorvanchali) and a Gujjar from South (held by a Jat). But that would leave out Poorvanchali from the social equation since the community's other stronghold of East Delhi is held by former chief minister Sheila Dikshit's son Sandeep.