MLC polls: Not in race, Cong issues whip for MLAs to vote for SP men

The decision has created a resentment among some of the MLAs, who found the decision to send their political rivals to Upper House with their votes hard. Sources inform that most awkward situation would be for Congress MLA from Shamli Pankaj Mallik, who had defeated then SP candidate Virendra Singh in 2012 Assembly elections in a close fight. Now, Singh is one of the SP candidates in MLC election.

“This whip should not be considered as any pact. It is not out of love for Samajwadi Party that we have done it but only to keep communal forces away. The support is only for MLC election. We would launch agitation against SP government in the state and BJP government at the Centre soon,” PCC chief Nirmal Khatri said.

Explaining that the directive to issue the whip came from party high-command, Congress Legislature Party leader Pradeep Mathur said, “You can consider it as give-and-take relation with Samajwadi Party. They helped send two of our leaders to Rajya Sabha recently and this was the least we could do”.

He went to add that Congress leaders are “not up for sale in UP. All of our MLAs would follow the whip”.

Meanwhile, a group of 36 senior party leaders met in Lucknow under chairmanship of AICC general secretary, Madhusudan Mistry and Khatri to decide the revival strategy. Those who attended the meeting included former union ministers Sri Prakash Jaiswal and Pradeep Jain Aditya, all the AICC secretaries in-charge of the state, CLP leader Pradeep Mathur, Rajya Sabha MPs P L Punia and Sanjay Sinh and Mohsina Kidwai.

It was decided to allot 75 districts of the state to 30 senior-most leaders who will hold meetings in tghier respective area with the workers and seek feedback on the questionaire based on a note that Sonia’s office had sent as a part of party’s revival plan.

“We will complete the exercise in first week of February,” said Khatri.