Cong banks on Sheila's charm

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">NEW DELHI: "<span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Chunav mein </span>Sheila <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">ka </span>magic<span style="" font-style:="" italic=""> chalega kya</span>?" is the new buzzword in Congress circles.<br /><br />While it is a fact that flyovers and roads which can win you Assembly polls do not often work in Lok Sabha polls, the Congress party is hoping for some repeat magic from Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit.<br /><br />Creating suspense in its typical style, the Congress is yet to disclose the names of its candidates from the seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi, and the list of contenders gets longer every day.<br /><br />With many in the fray, on what basis will the right candidate be selected? <br /><br />Speaking to The Times of India, Dikshit said: "My councillors and MLAs have demanded only one thing. That the party fields candidates who can give them a sense of moral conviction when they go out and ask for votes."<br /><br />With the Congress'' screening committee set to meet on Tuesday and Wednesday to finalise candidates for Delhi, the suspense is soon to be over. <br /><br />Those in the fray include Dikshit''s son, Sandeep Dikshit, Delhi minister A K Walia and Rohtash Nagar MLA Ram Babu Sharma from East Delhi, veteran leader Sajjan Kumar and three-time MLA Mukesh Sharma from Outer Delhi, say party sources. <br /><br />Deputy speaker of the Delhi Assembly Krishna Tirath is being considered for the Karol Bagh seat.<br /><br />Delhi Congress spokesperson Jagdish Tytler and MLA Rajesh Jain are contenders from Delhi Sadar, while former Delhi speaker Subhash Chopra, AICC member Ajit Singh Chaddha and lawyer R K Anand are front runners for the South Delhi seat. <br /><br />For Chandni Chowk, veteran leader J P Agarwal, MLA Anjali Rai, senior leader Karan Singh and local candidate Arjun Kumar are being talked about. <br /><br />For the VIP New Delhi constituency, say senior leaders, Congress spokesperson and lawyer Kapil Sibal is being considered along with Karan Singh, "if he does not get the ticket from Chandni Chowk".<br /><br />Parliamentary polls are admittedly fought more on the basis of national leadership rather than local issues. <br /><br />"It will be difficult to overshadow the appeal of Prime Minister (PM) Atal Bihari Vajpayee and deputy PM L K Advani with something like CNG," said a senior Congress leader.<br /><br />With the BJP using good governance as a poll plank through its India Shining campaign, the trick for the Congress would be to convince voters that Delhi is shining because of the good work by Congress-led government.<br /><br />During the last Lok Sabha election in 1999, the BJP swept all seven parliamentary seats in Delhi despite the fact that Assembly polls held a few months earlier had gone the Congress'' way. <br /><br />That, however, was before CNG, flyovers and Bhagidari. Dikshit had not yet become the poster woman for good governance and managing the reluctant middle class voter who, if he voted at all, voted saffron. <br /><br />The Lok Sabha polls this time will be a test of strength for Dikshit, as well as the candidates chosen by her party.</div> </div>