(Image source from: Why P Chidambaram opted out of Lok Sabha race?})
As Congress released 50 names in its 4th list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2014, the big surprise that caught everybody off-guard was that Finance Minister P Chidambaram's name was nowhere in the list. It then dawned on us that the Congress veteran won't contest for the 2014 general elections.
Instead, the Congress senior leader has decided to pass on the baton to son Karthi, who would contest from Chidambaram's home turf, Sivaganga constituency in Tamil Nadu.
The Economic Times reports: "The passing of baton in Sivaganga caps the intense speculation on Chidambaram's candidature in the wake of Congress's bleak prospects in the state owing to its failure to find an ally. Congress fought the last two elections with DMK and reaped a rich tally, disproportionate to its weak organizational muscle in the state."
However, Chidambaram isn't the only senior Congress-man to bow out of the Lok Sabha elections 2014. Union shipping minster GK Vasan and former minister KV Thangkabalu too have refused to be a part of the Lok Sabha race this year.
Despite Sonia Gandhi's diktat and persuasion, several senior Congress leaders have refused to budge from their decisions. Leaders like Manish Tiwari had to be virtually coaxed into contesting for the fear of pollsters writing off the elections.
The problem is particularly prevalent in Tamil Nadu. With DMK and other parties refusing to ally with Congress, the party is left on its own in the state now. Rajya Sabha MP Mani Shankar Aiyar, however, has decided to contest again from Mayiladuthurai, a seat he held for 10 years before losing it to the AIADMK in 2009.
Backing the decision, Karti Chidambaram said — ‘‘My father has contested nine elections and thought it was time to pave the way for me. He is definitely not retiring from politics.”
In another important political decision, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh’s younger brother Laxman Singh, an ex-BJP MP, will take on sitting MP and Lok Sabha Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj from Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh.
Kirit Patel will contest against BJP patriarch Lal Krishna Advani in Gandhinagar. The Congress is yet to announce who will take on the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, in Varanasi. Two most probable names are Union commerce minister Anand Sharma and Digvijay Singh. However, the final list is yet to be out.
AW: Suchorita Choudhury
