Cong picks Punjab ex-MP to handle New Delhi segment

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 21

With the Assembly elections barely a month and a half away in Delhi, the Congress has picked former MP from Punjab Vijayinder Singla as central observer for New Delhi area, the most critical parliamentary segment in the city state.

Besides Singla, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi have, in the party list of 14 central observers for 13 Delhi districts, named six regional leaders: former Haryana ministers Ajay Yadav, Geeta Bhukkal and Aftab Ahmed, former Himachal ministers Ram Lal Thakur and Kuldip Sharma and former speaker of Himachal Assembly Gangu Ram Musafir.

Each observer will be responsible for recommending the best possible candidates for the upcoming elections besides handling party’s overall election preparedness strategy under Rahul. New Delhi district assigned to Singla, former Sangrur Lok Sabha MP, is the most important for the Congress’ electoral future in the state. New Delhi LS constituency comprises the New Delhi Assembly segment represented in the past by former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit, who lost her claim on the seat to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in the previous polls.

Sources said Singla’s job would include convincing Sheila to re-contest elections in which she has publicly denied any interest. Party leaders say there is demand for either Sheila or her son and ex-MP from East Delhi to contest the forthcoming elections.

New Delhi Lok Sabha segment is also important as it was formerly represented by senior party leader Ajay Maken, currently Congress general secretary in charge of Communication.

Differences between Sheila and Maken are well known with the Congress central leadership now tasking Singla to resolve these and bring leaders together ahead of the elections in which the Congress had lost all five seats of New Delhi LS constituency in the last elections.

Among other prominent losers from New Delhi segment were the then ministers Kiran Walia, Jitendra Kochar and chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women Barkha Singh. A Congress leader today said: “Unlike in the past when central observers were appointed few days ahead of polls, this time 14 observers will remain in charge of district affairs till the day of results. The idea is to ensure smooth implementation of campaign strategies, and selection of candidates.”

Other regional leaders have the charge of following districts for Delhi polls: Aftab Ahmad (Badarpur), Geeta Bhukkal (Rohini), Ajay Yadav (Tilak Nagar), Ram Lal Thakur (Karol Bagh), Kuldeep Kumar (Kirari district) and Gangu Ram Musafir (Krishna Nagar district).