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Tytler, Bhagat, Sajjan Kumar denied tickets

The Congress today denied Lok Sabha tickets to three party stalwarts from Delhi -- Jagdish Tytler, H K L Bhagat and Sajjan Kumar -- tainted for their alleged involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots which broke out following then prime minister Indira Gandhi's assassination.

The suspense over the Congress nominees for the three seats, once represented by the three leaders, ended after the party decided to field former Union minister Shiela Dixit and two new faces in their place.

Dixit -- who is close to Sonia Gandhi and is the daughter-in-law of the late Congress leader Uma Shankar Dixit -- was given the party ticket for the East Delhi seat in place of Bhagat.

Deep Chand Sharma (outer Delhi) and Delhi Pradesh Congress Commitee vice-president M M Aggarwal (Delhi Sadar) have been preferred to Sajjan Kumar and Tytler (who had unsuccessfully contested the seats during the last election) respectively.

Dixit has been fielded to take on BJP MP Lal Behari Tiwari, who made his maiden entry to the Lower House by defeating the Congress's Dr Ashok K Walia in the 1997 by-election.

Sharma will contest in place of Sajjan Kumar, who had lost to BJP vice-president K L Sharma in the 1996 general election. Deep Chand, who is understood to have Sajjan Kumar's backing, will be opposed by the BJP leader.

Aggarwal will contest against another BJP vice-president Madan Lal Khurana in Delhi Sadar. Both the candidates are new to voters in the constituency. Khurana, a former Delhi chief minister, successfully contested the Lok Sabha election from South Delhi once.

The Congress central election committee had, after hectic parleys last night, decided not to give tickets to Bhagat, Tytler and Sajjan Kumar.

The CEC, however, took the view that the candidates for the respective constituencies should be chosen in consultation with the three leaders since the Congress should not appear to have endorsed the allegations of their involvement in the 1984 riots.

The party should only convey that it was responding to the minority community's sensitivities as the allegations were still pending in the court of law.

EARLIER REPORT:
Sonia says sorry to Sikhs for Bluestar, 1984 riots

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