Third Eye: Caught in serial complaints, wait getting longer, all in the Family

The Uttarakhand Congress unit is in a restive mood. A little birdie says the AICC has received a slew of complaints from many state Congress leaders and MLAs against the style of functioning of Uttarakhand PCC president Karan Mahara. After failing to open the account in the Lok Sabha polls, the state Congress won two key assembly by-elections in Badrinath and Manglaur recently in the BJP-ruled state. But instead of these victories making the PCC president popular internally, the serial complaints against Mahara are making the AICC brass skeptical about his continuation and looking to replace him.

There is much speculation on the report of the 79th round of the National Sample Survey which was expected to be published last month but is yet to see the light of day. Several ministries, in fact, have already prepared data points on its findings and are only waiting for the Ministry of Statistical & Programme Implementation to release the report.

Looks like there is going to be a fight within the clan of former PM Devi Lal. With JJP announcing Digvijay Chautala as its nominee from Dabwali assembly in Haryana, BJP is fielding Aditya Chautala (Devi Lal) from there and Congress is likely to field MLA Amit Sihag. These three candidates are related to each other. While Digvijay and Aditya are great-grandson and grandson of former Devi Lal, Amit Sihag is also from the extended family of the former PM.