Jaipur: As Congress gears up for the upcoming urban local body elections scheduled for Sept 9 and 11, it is currently grappling with dissent and dissatisfaction among its members regarding candidate selection in major cities like Jaipur, Kota, and Ajmer.In Jaipur, the criticism comes from former city president RR Tiwari, who has taken aim at party MLAs Rafiq Khan and Amin Kagzi for their management of nominations. Tiwari warned that their actions could lead to serious setbacks for the party.“Both Khan and Kagzi have become self-proclaimed representatives of the Muslim community. It would be good if they focus on their constituencies rather than look into someone else’s house,” he said. Tiwari further alleged that Jaipur district president Sunil Sharma and Jaipur in charge Rohit Bohra were operating under the influence of Khan and Kagzi.Responding to the backlash, Khan said that recent delimitation resulted in a decrease in wards from 250 to 150, necessitating the dropping of many candidates. “We wanted to award tickets to accommodate those who supported Congress,” Khan said, stressing the importance of acknowledging the contributions of independent councillors allied with the party in previous elections.In Kota, tensions flared between senior members Shanti Dhariwal and Prahlad Gunjal over ticket distribution, leading to heated discussions and allegations of ignored recommendations to the party observer. Sources suggest that the divisions within the party could prove to be long-lasting, with factions aiming to undermine one another’s candidates in the polls.Similarly, in Ajmer, discord over candidate selection escalated dramatically, with posters of city president Rajkumar Jaipal and senior member Dharmendra Rathore being burned in a Muslim-dominated locality. Arif Hussain, Ajmer district Congress general secretary, reached out to PCC president Govind Singh Dotasra to request a reconsideration of candidate Rehan Khan for ward 13. The rift led to significant fallout, including the resignation of Taufiq Pathan, Ajmer North Congress Mandal president, who defected to the RLP, declaring, “We will not allow Congress members to enter our area.”
