TIRUCHY: A section of Congress members in Tiruchy on Saturday petitioned party leader Rahul Gandhi, urging the high command to allot Assembly poll tickets only to long-serving party workers and not to recent entrants from other parties.
Led by TNCC general secretary advocate M Saravanan, the Congress members gathered near the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the city and staged a sloganeering protest, seeking recognition for what they termed as “traditional” Congress workers.
They later sent an email petition to Rahul Gandhi outlining their demands and also placed it in front of the Gandhi statue.
In the petition, the cadres said tickets for the upcoming Assembly elections should be given to those who have remained loyal to the party over the years and worked consistently for its growth. Allotting seats to recent entrants from other parties could prove risky, they said, alleging that such candidates might switch loyalties for “personal whims and fancies”.
The petition also cautioned that the State could witness a hung Assembly after the polls, making each elected MLA crucial. In such a scenario, only committed Congress workers would remain steadfast and uphold the party’s principles, it said.
Citing an AICC resolution, the cadres further demanded that the party strictly adhere to the decision not to allot tickets to State and district presidents in the forthcoming elections.
TNCC orator Sivaji Shanmugam and several party functionaries participated in the protest.