With Das’s exit, Cong loses a strong candidate for Lucknow seat

The Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee may term the resignation of former Union minister Akhilesh Das, ‘as no loss to the party’, but the fact is that the party has lost a strong candidate for Lucknow Lok Sabha seat. Over the years, Das has nursed Lucknow constituency, even using his personal resources. After Das’s departure, the Congress is left with no credible candidate for Lucknow.

The BJP faces the same problem after former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s retirement from politics. The SP has very little presence here. If Das gets the backing of the BSP, he may turn out to be a formidable candidate. Das has spared no effort to create personal goodwill for himself in Lucknow. On various occasions, he has distributed utensils, blankets, clothes, cricket kits to children, launched ambulances and set up drinking water stalls here. His personal media cell, which operates from his residence, issues press releases on a daily basis under the banner of Dr Akhilesh Das, Lucknow Vikas Manch.

Within the Congress, an important section of the party was, however, unhappy with Das. Obviously, Das’s removal from the ministry was a victory for his rivals in the party. That explains Das’s rebellion.

The allegation against him was that he was busy promoting himself. At the party’s annual convention in Kanpur on March 31, Sonia Gandhi had said, “those who are working for themselves, keeping the party interests aside, should beware. We are sailing in one boat and if the boat sinks we all will sink.” It was then interpreted as a warning to Das and those like him.His close allies, Achal Mehrotra and Vipin Bihari Shukla, holding the charge of city and district Congress Committees, also resigned from the primary membership of the party. Congress spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh, who is said to be Das’s key rival, alleged, “he had encroached upon the party unnecessarily. He never reacted when the ruling party spoke against the Congress or its members”.