Cong Young Turks may nudge out Tytler, Sajjan

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's proposal to set aside 30 per cent of the parliamentary seats for the youth may scuttle ambitions of many a political heavyweights of the grand-old party.

Cong Young Turks may nudge out Tytler, Sajjan

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's proposal to set aside 30 per cent of the parliamentary seats for the youth may scuttle ambitions of many a political heavyweights of the grand-old party.

In a clear indication of the things to come, Congress poll veterans in Delhi are afraid to lose their claim over party ticket to delimitation as well as feverish lobbying by prominent faces in party-affiliated youth organisations like the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) and the National Students Union of India.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, in an interview to MiD DAY, last week had indicated that due to delimitation and change in the status of reserved seats the party list for the coming general elections might throw surprises.

Sources in the All India Congress Committee (AICC) told MiD DAY that Ashok Tanwar may be fielded from northwest constituency and the party may drop sitting MLA and AICC secretary Jaikishan, who has been lobbying hard after the outer Delhi parliamentary constituency was trifurcated.

Names of young leaders like Nadim Javed, general secretary of IYC and Alka Lamba, secretary AICC, are also doing the rounds. The two young leaders may get ticket from north east and west Delhi respectively. "Alka is young as well as a woman, so her chances of getting a ticket are high," said a Congress leader.

The sources also said that some veteran sitting MPs, including Jagdish Tytler, Krishna Tirath and Sajjan Kumar would find it hard to get the ticket. "Tytler is claiming ticket from the north east Delhi constituency as his present Delhi Sadar constituency is no more after the delimitation exercise. Krishna Tirath's Karol Bagh seat is no more reserved and has become a part of New Delhi constituency from where Ajay Maken is almost set to contest. Thus chances of Tirath, too, are bleak.

According to sources, Sachin Pilot is also among the probables from south Delhi constituency, despite senior leaders like Sajjan Kumar and Yoganand Shastri claiming the ticket from this seat.u00a0