State Congress unit is facing hard time for selecting any of candidates for the forthcoming assembly election as from every constituency party is receiving long list of candidates, which can possibly resulted into the revolt in party. Former Forest Minister and state Congress general secretary Ram Lal Thakur, who is also a noted Congress politician is also facing challenges as five others vying with him for the party ticket from the Naina Devi constituency this time if the proceedings of a Congress meeting held in the presence of central party observer Kamal Kant Sharma at Swarghat.
Reports said zila parishad member and former district party president Hoshiar Singh Thakur was the first one to stake his claim to the party ticket at the meeting. He claimed that the observer was here to recommend three names from each constituency for the party ticket. Soon after, Babu Ram Thakur from the Jukhala valley, who is a former chairman of the Bilaspur Sadar block development committee and zila parishad member from this area, Shailender Bhadole, a Congress worker and social activist of the Jukhala area, Narendra Billoria, state Mahila Congress vice-president, and Puran Chand Bhatia, president of the Jukhala panchayat, also staked their claim to the party ticket. However, several leaders supported the candidature of Ram Lal Thakur, who, they said, was the only leader who had a huge following and influence in the constituency.
However, Party observer Kamal Kant Sharma said that it is not a worrying factor for the party. He said that Congress is a huge party and it shows that party has huge following and as the Congress was a democratic party and difference of opinion on issues was bound to be there, and such incident shows that party workers are active and keen to work for the society.
