UP Assembly Polls: Cong extends date for filing applications for ticket seekers

Lucknow, (PTI): The Congress party on Saturday extended by a fortnight the date for its leaders and workers to apply for party tickets to contest the 2022 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

UPCC president Ajay Kumar Lallu, in a letter sent to the party leaders and office bearers, said the date for submission of applications earlier was September 25 but it has now been extended to October 10.

When contacted, party leaders said this step has been taken on the request of party workers and leaders who had been busy in training camps and other organisational issues and had found it difficult to apply in time.

They also said some prospective candidates did not want to apply during the “pitr paksha’ period, considered inauspicious by many to start a new work.

The partymen had been busy in training programmes and other organisational issues and they needed to visit the party office physically to apply for tickets, the leaders said.

They had requested the leadership for more time and so this decision has been taken, party spokesman Ashok Singh said.

Except for extending the time till October 10, no other changes have been made, he added.

Ahead of the election in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress Party has come up with a unique way to both raise party funds and seek ”serious” candidates by providing for a payment of Rs 11,000 to the party by ticket seekers along with their applications.

”All applicants should submit their applications with the authorised persons at the district/state level along with a ‘sahyog rashi (contribution amount)’ of Rs 11,000 by September 25, 2021,” a letter issued earlier by Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Ajay Kumar Lallu had said.

Explaining the decision to ask for the ‘contribution amount’, Ashok Singh had said the move is meant to screen out non-serious candidates.

The response has been “very good” and because of the condition of contribution money, only those who seriously want to enter the electoral fray are coming forward and giving applications, Ashok Singh said.

Citing the example of some districts, he said that a good number of people have already given applications. But the total number of those desiring to contest will be known only after the completion of the exercise, Ashok Singh added.

Former Bareli mayor Supriya Aron, also a probable party candidate from Bareli Cantt assembly seat, hailed the initiative of providing for the application fee by candidates saying earlier non-serious people also used to make beeline for poll nomination.

Aron said the grand old party has been witnessing an encouraging response at the grassroots level under the leadership of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Facing the daunting task to stop its slide further after bagging only seven seats in the 2017 polls, the Congress party has decided not to forge any poll alliance with the Samajwadi Party or Bahujan Samaj Party and do it only with smaller UP parties. (PTI)