Tamil Nadu Congress neta scorches party leadership over choice of candidates for elections

Tamil Nadu Congress leader ASP Jhanserane lashed out at the party's state leadership for not fielding her from the Nilakottai constituency and accused TNCC president KS Alagiri of being discriminatory. The granddaughter of seven-time Congress MLA Ponnammal alleged that the TNCC president had asked her if she had money to spend for the elections and asked if money was the only criteria to be a Congress candidate. Jhanserane claimed that the party was not giving tickets to deserving candidates and was preferring rich candidates instead.

Congress leader Jhanserane claimed that the grand old party did not ask DMK for the Nilakottai constituency despite DMK's offer to give the seat to its ally. Jhanserane further questioned Congress' inclusivity, alleging that rich candidates were given tickets while the poor were shown the door. Referring to Rahul Gandhi as the party's 'president', Jhanserane claimed that his efforts to rebuild the party went in vain and asked if her labour and background did not satisfy the criteria to be fielded from the Nilakottai constituency. 

It is pertinent to note that many Congress leaders have expressed displeasure in the manner in which candidates have been chosen by the party for upcoming polls in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Earlier on Tuesday, former Congress MP PC Chacko announced his exit from all positions in Congress accusing the party of not being able to maintain democracy. Detailing on what catalysed his exit from the grand old party, PC Chacko alleged that candidates were not selected by Congress on the basis of winnability and claimed that only one or two persons were involved in the selection of candidates. The former Congress MP further claimed that the party was split into two factions in the state (A & I) and that he had asked the party's high command to protect those who didn't belong to either group. PC Chacko revealed that Congress' high command was merely accepting the names of the candidates on the list submitted by the two groups while ignoring other worthy candidates. 

Tamil Nadu Assembly polls

The two warring factions in AIADMK - of Deputy CM O Pannerselvam (OPS) and CM E Palaniswamy (EPS), reconciled after the party named incumbent E Palaniswamy as its CM candidate and O Panneerselvam as the chief of the 11-member steering committee. He has also announced a slew of social measures like Pongal gift hampers, farm loan waiver, free COVID-19 vaccines, passing school students, etc which has been slammed by DMK M K Stalin calling it 'pre-poll appeasement'.  Meanwhile, ex-CM Karunanidhi's successor - DMK chief MK Stalin eyes his maiden CM term as DMK cannot afford to lose a third straight Assembly election after sweeping the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls with 38 seats.