Explained: Why Congress' Candidate List For Rajasthan Elections Is Delayed

While the Congress party is announcing candidates for the other four states holding elections, the first list for Rajasthan is still pending, even a week after the announcement of poll dates.

Notably, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had stated in June that the aim is to finalise the selection of candidates two months before the upcoming elections, however, that didn't happen.

Now, the first names are expected to be revealed on 18 October for approximately 100 of the 200 seats in the assembly and speculation about divisions within the state Congress unit already began resurfacing.

The delay in announcing the Rajasthan candidate list is justified by Congress leaders, citing the CM's busy schedule in launching various schemes and benefits before the model code of conduct.

Recently, a significant rally was held for the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP), which the Congress accuses the BJP government of delaying. The preparations for this event have been ongoing for some time and it was attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

However, many are skeptical of this explanation, as the party has already announced some names for Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Mizoram. Consequently, rebellion was reported from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

During his visit to Delhi for candidate selection talks, CM Gehlot's car was surrounded by party workers chanting slogans, Indian Express reported.

The Congress state president, Govind Singh Dotasra, reveals that choosing the names for the seats has been challenging, with the party receiving over 3,000 applications for the 200 seats, averaging 15 applications per constituency.

The Congress is considering various surveys conducted by the AICC, including Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha-wise surveys. The Pradesh Election Committee (PEC) led by Dotasra has also provided a report, along with a survey of potential candidates conducted by a private agency.

Dotasra explains that PEC members visited districts and gathered a list of possible candidates from local leaders, from which names were selected.

The collected data and reports were then forwarded to the Screening Committee, which is chaired by Gaurav Gogoi and includes members Ganesh Godiyal and Abhishek Dutt.

The committee also includes ex-officio members such as Dotasra, Gehlot, AICC Rajasthan in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, former deputy CM Sachin Pilot, Assembly Speaker CP Joshi, and AICC secretaries in-charge of the state.

The Screening Committee's task is to narrow down the list of candidates to one to three individuals per seat. Once this is done, the committee will submit their recommendations to the Central Election Committee (CEC), which will make the final decision. This process is considered time-consuming, according to a party leader.

The party leader added that the entire process of considering surveys, gathering candidate lists, and finalising the selection is a lengthy one. However, it is crucial to ensure a thorough and comprehensive evaluation of potential candidates before making the final decision.

The leader emphasised the importance of considering the impact of a candidate on adjacent seats or the region. They pointed out that even if a candidate may be weak, they could still have a positive influence on other seats around them.

Party insiders have discussed the topic of representation for women and youth, as well as the sentiment against incumbent ministers and MLAs. However, the dominant criteria for selecting candidates remains their "winnability."

In some cases, current leaders have held the position of MLA for multiple terms and have not allowed for the development of secondary leadership. This raises the question of who else could be given the ticket if these leaders are not repeated.

Additionally, Gehlot is under pressure to support the MLAs who saved his government on two occasions - during the 2020 rebellion and the September 2022 crisis, when the party high command wanted to replace Gehlot with Pilot as the CM.

The BJP has already released a list of 41 seats, but Congress leaders claim that these seats are being used for "experimentation". The early declaration was made to allow the party enough time to handle any potential damage caused by fielding MPs.

Pilot's absence from Monday's rally for the ERCP, which covers 13 districts including his strongholds, may not benefit the Congress. He was unable to attend due to an exam he had to take in New Delhi to advance from the rank of Captain to Major in the Territorial Army.