CHENNAI: Congress MP S Jothimani on Friday alleged large-scale irregularities in the Congress party's constituency allocation and candidate selection process for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and called for a comprehensive inquiry by the All India Congress Committee (AICC).
The selection of Congress candidates for the recently concluded Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu was fraught with infighting and controversies. Vexed over this, senior leader B Manickam Tagore had quit as chief of the party’s poll panel, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had pulled up TNCC leadership over the way in which it was done.
Reopening that can of worms in a social media post, Jothimani claimed that constituencies were sought and allocated to suit candidates who had already been selected and alleged that large-scale corruption had taken place under the guise of election surveys.
She alleged that several senior party workers who had served the Congress for decades, as well as individuals with strong electoral prospects, were sidelined during the selection process. At the same time, newcomers and candidates with limited electoral prospects were accommodated after constituencies were specifically negotiated for them.
According to Jothimani, some candidates who were given the opportunity to contest either left the party or became inactive shortly after the election. Questioning the basis on which such candidates were selected, she sought accountability for what she described as serious lapses in the process.
The Congress MP criticised the formation of a committee to investigate alleged anti-party activities during the election without first examining the constituency allocation and candidate selection process. Such a move, she said, appeared to protect those responsible for the alleged irregularities rather than identify the root causes of the party's poor performance.
Jothimani noted that the committee involved in constituency allocation and candidate selection was headed by former Tamil Nadu Congress in-charge Girish Chodankar. According to party rules, allegations against that committee could only be investigated by the AICC, she said, adding that office-bearers of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee did not have the authority to conduct such an inquiry.
Stressing the need for internal reforms, she said a proper investigation into the Tamil Nadu Assembly election process was essential and that strict action should be taken against those found responsible. Only such measures could restore the confidence of party workers, she added.
She further observed that allegations relating to constituency allocation and candidate selection had surfaced in several State elections and, in some cases, had contributed to electoral defeats. However, instead of conducting inquiries, those responsible were often protected, she alleged.
Describing her experience of closely observing the Tamil Nadu candidate selection process as "deeply shocking", Jothimani said the alleged irregularities were so blatant that they could adversely affect the party's future.
Emphasising the Congress party's responsibility to counter the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had been fighting uncompromisingly for that cause. However, internal irregularities were steadily eroding the confidence of party workers and weakening the organisation from within, she added.
Jothimani said that if the Congress was to emerge as a strong opposition force and achieve electoral success, the voices of grassroots workers, district presidents and block-level functionaries must be respected. Calling for greater honesty and transparency in the party's functioning, she urged the Congress leadership to initiate much-needed electoral reforms, beginning with Tamil Nadu.