Reddy pips Pilot at post

CALCUTTA, Aug 10: Rajesh Pilot was the biggest loser in the much-awaited Congress Working Committee (CWC) election here today, on the last day of the party plenary session, which threw up a mixed bag showing president Sitaram Kesri’s limited clout in the organisation.

Pilot lost to Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy by four votes in a long-drawn last round of counting, which ended at 11 pm. In what was the most closely fought CWC election in recent times, almost all the contenders Kesri backed sailed through. However, three important leaders he didn’t want made it to the most powerful Congress decision-making body. In the end, Ahmed Patel, Jitendra Prasada, Madhavrao Scindia, Tariq Anwar, Pranab Mukherjee, R K Dhawan, Arjun Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Sharad Pawar and Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy were the chosen 10 to be elected from 49 candidates, in that order. Of the 1,023 votes polled, Patel got the highest 664 votes, Prasada bagged 654, Scindia 612, Anwar 526, Mukherjee 503, Dhawan 421, Arjun Singh 382, Azad 349, Pawar 344 and Reddy 331. Pilot was 11th with 326, losing a stiff battle which he fought alone, and Kamal Nath was 12th with 309 votes. Scindia swept into the CWC with a record number of votes for a first-timer while Anwar was number four, also a maiden entry. Mukherjee, who was nominated by Kesri in the outgoing CWC, made it this time as an elected member. Ahmed Patel was the biggest surprise at the top, edging out even Jitendra Prasada. Patel thus jumps from the ninth position, in the previous CWC, to the top now. Pawar dropped from number four to nine and Arjun Singh slided from the top position to seventh this time. Kesri had floated an informal panel and seven of his eight men made it. Patel, Prasada, Scindia, Anwar, Mukherjee, Dhawan and Reddy were in the Kesri panel, the first six winning comfortably. The one who didn’t was H Hanumanthappa, ironically the only Dailt in Kesri’s list. What Kesri didn’t anticipate were the victories of Arjun Singh, who was dropped at the last moment from Kesri’s panel, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Pawar. This means the composition of the elected component of the CWC will have seven in favour of Kesri and three against. That makes for a tenuous arrangement and Kesri is now expected to fill the nine nominated slots with his followers. Since no woman was elected, there will be representation for them in the nominated list. The same goes for Dalits and backward classes. Also, AK Antony, who kept away from the Congress plenary session, is likely to be nominated to the CWC by Kesri.

Apart from Sonia Gandhi’s dramatic attendance in the plenary session, the CWC elections were the most keenly awaited. It was almost like elections to any college students union with the 49 candidates queueing up and soliciting support from the AICC delegates. Several journalists were mistaken for voters and handed over slips of candidates to vote for.

Story continues below this ad

Intense lobbying and sundry pressure tactics kept the voters under the candidates’ glare. Former party president P V Narasimha Rao left almost as the polling began without bothering to vote but his men had already carried out a strong campaign. The poll had a very high turnout indicating the high stakes in the contest.

Pawar, Pilot, Arjun Singh and Ghulam Nabi Azad were targetted by Kesri’s followers and for a long time Pawar and Pilot were in danger of losing the election. From round one of the counting, Arjun Singh and Ghulam Nabi Azad had settled at the number seven and eight slots.

Pawar and Pilot were battling for the last slot, a bit of a shock for Pawar. Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy was in the number nine slot till he was edged out by Pawar in round eight of counting. Reddy made a comeback in the last round at Pilot’s cost. For Pawar, who only just scraped through, the results are a shock. Pawar had declared that he was staying put in Delhi a year ago, and with this near fiasco, he refused to speak to anyone.

Even though he made it in the end, it still is a big defeat for the Maratha strongman. Pilot too wore a nervous look all through and left quickly from the venue. The biggest flop though was Balram Jakhar, a member of the previous CWC, who was never in the reckoning this time.