Jaipur: Veteran Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday said more than 50 per cent of the party tickets for the upcoming local body polls in the state should be given to Gen-Z and young candidates, asserting that it is time to recognise the ongoing generational change in the country.
Speaking to reporters after discussions on the Congress’s preparations for the civic polls, the former Rajasthan chief minister said tickets should be distributed strictly on the basis of merit and ground-level feedback and not on recommendations, even if they come from senior leaders like him.
“I have said more than 50 per cent of the tickets should be given to Gen-Z and youngsters. With Gen-Z coming forward, an era of change is unfolding across the country and a new generation is emerging,” he said.
Gehlot said the experience of senior leaders should continue to be utilised while providing greater opportunities to the younger generation.
“The importance of Gen-Z or the younger generation cannot be denied,” he said, adding that youngsters getting opportunities would also have to demonstrate dedication and commitment to the party.
Gehlot referred to a recent students’ agitation at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and protests led by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi near the prime minister’s residence, saying these developments have created an atmosphere indicating a generational shift.
On ticket distribution, he said the observers sent by the Pradesh Congress Committee should be given full authority to assess local conditions and select candidates on merit.
“Not a single ticket should be given on recommendations. Only genuine workers should get tickets,” he said.
The former chief minister said even recommendations made by him should not influence candidate selection.
“If someone comes to me in Jaipur and I recommend a person for Bikaner or Bharatpur, how would I know the actual situation there? If tickets are distributed on the basis of ground realities, only then will we win,” he said.
Gehlot expressed confidence that the Congress would win the local body polls with a big majority. He claimed that there is anger among people against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
He accused the state government of neglecting urban development and discontinuing or weakening several initiatives launched by the previous Congress regime.
Gehlot said his government had distributed around 12 lakh land-lease deeds and launched an urban-employment-guarantee scheme on the lines of the MGNREGA.
He alleged that the present government has discontinued the urban-employment initiative and claimed that several development projects involving national and international funding have also been stalled.
He accused the BJP government of neglecting these departments despite their importance in managing the rapid expansion of cities and areas brought under development authorities.
“The government is not paying attention to villages that have now come under development authorities. This department and ministry are extremely important for cities,” Gehlot said.
He said discussions were held at the meeting to ensure proper ticket distribution and appealed to party MLAs, MPs, district and block Congress committees and grassroots-level workers to work together for the local body polls.
Senior leaders of the party attended the meeting.
