LUCKNOW, NOV 6: In what is being seen as more opposition to Sonia Gandhi's leadership of the Congress, Sujan Singh Bundela, an aide of Jitendra Prasada, today announced his candidature for the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee presidentship. The election for UPCC president's post is scheduled to be held with the poll for the AICC president's post on November 12.Prasada's decision to take on Sonia for the Congress chief's post has caused considerable rumbling in the party and Bundela's decision to contest for UPCC presidentship, will add to anxiety within the party.Party's central election authority chairman Ram Niwas Mirdha has calleda meeting of the state's returning officers in Delhi tomorrow to decide adate for filing nomination papers, Bundela informed, and added that Mirdha had assured that election would be held in a fair manner.Meanwhile, the party is agog with rumours in Lucknow that Sonia camp - in an attempt to escape embarrassment - may postpone the election to the UPCC president despite Mirdha's assurance.If the election is held, Bundela will take on the Sonia's choice - Sriprakash Jaiswal, the present UPCC president. Jaiswal replaced Salman Khurshid, who was shifted to Delhi by Sonia Gandhi. The Prasada camp which was against Khurshid and had opposed Jaiswal's nomination as UPCC president.Prasada served as UPCC chief when he was unanimously elected state Congress president on June 10, 1996. Before Prasada, when Mahabir Prasad was the official candidate, Mohsina Kidwai, Lokpati Tripathi and Ram Naresh Yadav had expressed their desire to contest elections to the post of state party chief. Then prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao intervened and managed to reach a consensus on Mahabir Prasad. During 1972-1991, elections to neither the AICC nor UPCC president's post were held.``There is no intra-party democracy. A coterie is ruling the party and party workers are demoralised,'' Bundela said, adding that if the party needs to be revived, it was necessary to motivate workers, make them feel part of the election process. He said that this could be done by a grassroot party worker like him - who had grown from a village pradhan to the level of MP.
