Bhubaneswar: Over 2,500 aspirants have applied online for party tickets for the 147 constituencies, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattanayak informed on Saturday.
The party had launched a portal on February 2 where prospective candidates could apply online for party tickets to contest in the ensuing simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha. The candidates were asked to furnish in detail about their activities in constituencies and explain what edge they have over their possible rivals.
“This was aimed at bringing transparency in ticket distribution and providing an opportunity to all to apply for Congress tickets. We have around 2500 applicants for 147 Assembly constituencies and around 500 aspirants for 21 Lok Sabha seats. Doctors and retired IAS officers have also applied,” the OPCC chief said.
Pattnayak along with Congress’ Odisha in-charge Ajoy Kumar will personally meet the aspirants and hold thorough discussions on the applications for each and every constituency before sending the list to the central leadership. “They will also be given a seven-day task, which will be evaluated by the Congress team. Tomorrow is the last date to apply for a Congress ticket and the applications will be reviewed on the basis of the tasks, organisation, political works, and other parameters,” he said.
More weightage will be given to winnability of a candidate during the ticket distribution to achieve the ‘9 to 90 mission’, he added.
The AICC has formed five screening committees to recommend candidates for the 2024 elections.
