05-21-2007, 04:09 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Sonia's one family one ticket norm raises eyebrows </b>
Pioneer.com
Nidhi Sharma | New Delhi
The Congress, a party that has followed the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty and used the family's charm for decades, has suddenly decided to give up its tradition in Goa. <b>The party, whose president and her son are both members of Parliament, is insisting on "one family one ticket" - a formula that is already fuelling a lot of dissent in the party in the State.</b> <!--emo&
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Ahead of Goa Assembly election, the party refused to give tickets to family members of serving Ministers. The firm stance was taken after strict directions by party president Sonia Gandhi herself. A senior Congress leader said, "The party president has given strict instructions that you cannot give more than one ticket to a family. Though several State stalwarts were angry, we had to stick to this principle during the ticket distribution."
The first voice of opposition was heard when former Chief Minister and a Congress MP Churchill Alemao asked the party to give his brother Joaquim Alemao a ticket. When the Congress high command stuck to its "one family one ticket" principle, Alemao rebelled and floated his Save Goa Front. He is now using the development plank and Congress' performance in the June 2 elections.
Even Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane demanded a ticket for his son Vishwajeet Rane. When the party insisted on the principle, Rane offered to sacrifice his candidature in favour of his son. He was persuaded and now his son is fighting as an independent from Valpoi constituency.<b> Vishwajeet is bitter because he was made the general secretary of the party's State unit and given charge of Valpoi, Bicholim, Pale and Mayem constituencies. He worked in these constituencies for over a year and mobilised voters. Even then, he was denied a ticket from the party.</b>
Senior leader Atanasio Monserrate rebelled against the party on the last day of filing of nominations because his wife Jennifer was denied a ticket. Now both husband and wife are contesting on United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) tickets from Taleigao and St Cruz respectively.
Senior leaders insist that though it goes against the party's long-followed tradition, it has sound reasoning to it. A leader said, "Goa Assembly has only 40 seats. If the party starts giving multiple tickets to a family, it would just take 15-20 families to corner seats and dominate over the entire Assembly. This would not be fair."
The party is already facing the Opposition BJP's wrath over this issue. <b>BJP leaders have openly lashed out at the party for following "double standards". The Opposition's campaign line is clear: "You can't trust the party which does this to its own people."</b>
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Pioneer.com
Nidhi Sharma | New Delhi
The Congress, a party that has followed the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty and used the family's charm for decades, has suddenly decided to give up its tradition in Goa. <b>The party, whose president and her son are both members of Parliament, is insisting on "one family one ticket" - a formula that is already fuelling a lot of dissent in the party in the State.</b> <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> Ahead of Goa Assembly election, the party refused to give tickets to family members of serving Ministers. The firm stance was taken after strict directions by party president Sonia Gandhi herself. A senior Congress leader said, "The party president has given strict instructions that you cannot give more than one ticket to a family. Though several State stalwarts were angry, we had to stick to this principle during the ticket distribution."
The first voice of opposition was heard when former Chief Minister and a Congress MP Churchill Alemao asked the party to give his brother Joaquim Alemao a ticket. When the Congress high command stuck to its "one family one ticket" principle, Alemao rebelled and floated his Save Goa Front. He is now using the development plank and Congress' performance in the June 2 elections.
Even Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane demanded a ticket for his son Vishwajeet Rane. When the party insisted on the principle, Rane offered to sacrifice his candidature in favour of his son. He was persuaded and now his son is fighting as an independent from Valpoi constituency.<b> Vishwajeet is bitter because he was made the general secretary of the party's State unit and given charge of Valpoi, Bicholim, Pale and Mayem constituencies. He worked in these constituencies for over a year and mobilised voters. Even then, he was denied a ticket from the party.</b>
Senior leader Atanasio Monserrate rebelled against the party on the last day of filing of nominations because his wife Jennifer was denied a ticket. Now both husband and wife are contesting on United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) tickets from Taleigao and St Cruz respectively.
Senior leaders insist that though it goes against the party's long-followed tradition, it has sound reasoning to it. A leader said, "Goa Assembly has only 40 seats. If the party starts giving multiple tickets to a family, it would just take 15-20 families to corner seats and dominate over the entire Assembly. This would not be fair."
The party is already facing the Opposition BJP's wrath over this issue. <b>BJP leaders have openly lashed out at the party for following "double standards". The Opposition's campaign line is clear: "You can't trust the party which does this to its own people."</b>
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