Unease in Cong over ticket for MCD polls; workers meet Rahul

Youth and women members of Delhi Congress have raised the banner of revolt against its city leadership and sought Rahul Gandhi's intervention for "impartial" distribution of ticket for MCD polls.
Members of Women and Youth wing of the party today met Rahul at his residence and urged him to intervene and ensure their "rights are not undermined" in ticket distribution.
The first list of candidates that was expected to be announced around March 27 is getting delayed due to protest from the women and youth members of the party.
Delhi Mahila Congress president Barkha Singh accompanied scores of women members who reached Rahul's residence to register their grievances.

"The state unit leaders do not meet the women aspirants seeking party ticket for elections. These women workers work hard for the party and they want their due," Singh said.
The Mahila Congress members could not meet Gandhi. However, they submitted their demand papers addressed to him.

"I submitted a list of 90 women. We do not want tickets for all but they should be given at least some tickets, may 30 or 20," she said.
Singh expressed apprehension that women relatives of party leaders could be given tickets instead of ordinary women workers of the party.
"The committed Mahila Congress workers work hard for the party but when election time comes, wives, daughters and daughter-in-laws of the leaders are favoured," she said.

Delhi Youth Congress president Amit Malik too reached Gandhi's residence for his intervention.
"I met Rahul Gandhi who assured that justice will be done to Youth Congress," Malik said.
He, however, clarified that Youth Congress was not demonstrating outside Gandhi's residence as some media reports claimed.
"He is our leader. Last year we had met him and he had promised that Youth Congress will be ensured participation in MCD elections and we had gone to make request to him in this regard," he said.
A list of 60 names from the Youth Congress were given to the state unit leaders for consideration for MCD poll tickets, he said.

The Delhi Congress leaders, nevertheless, claimed that the party was following the laid-down procedure of distribution of tickets based on feedback of booth-level workers in wards.
"It is for the first time that separate meetings were held with Youth Congress and Mahila Congress leaders to discuss lists given by them. Most of the names given by them were way down in our lists prepared based on feedback of booth level workers and surveys conducted by party," said a senior Delhi Congress leader.
The first list of about 100 candidates is in final stages of preparations and it could be announced soon, he said.