BJP having stolen the show  initially over the Congress by declaring its candidates for all the five Lok Sabha seats, the declaration of the Congress’s candidate list remains stuck due to internal bickering gnawing at the party.

The Congress leaders were consistently claiming since Friday morning that the list  would be declared any moment. However the list  has remained elusive  till late Friday  evening.

When contacted on Friday afternoon, the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Pritam Singh said that the list would be declared soon.

Queried over  the delay in declaration of the candidates, he said that it shows the eagerness of many leaders of the party to contest the election, given  the groundswell of support  Congress enjoys.

 “ The people of the state have decided to throw BJP out of power.  Congress candidates  are all set to win from all the five seats in Uttarakhand. The list would soon be declared and there no need to worry on this count,’’ he said.

Despite the PCC president giving an impression of all being well in the  state party unit,  other Congress leaders privately admitted that things were being stretched far too long to the detriment of the party’s electoral interests and the list should be declared immediately.

 “The BJP candidates have already filed nominations and started to campaign while we are yet  to declare our candidates. Saturday and Sunday being holidays, our candidates would get just one day left for filing nomination with Monday being the last date.

The inordinate delay is sending a wrong message in public that our leaders are at loggerheads on the distribution of tickets, something which might tell upon our prospects,’’ said one party leader while insisting on anonymity.

It is learnt that a consensus  has emerged on the names of PCC chief Pritam Singh from Tehri, Manish Khanduri from Garhwal and Pradeep Tamta from Almora- Pithoragarh constituencies.  But the real thorny issue which is delaying things is that of the candidature of party stalwart and former chief minister Harish Rawat. Sources inform that with BJP deciding to field the state party chief Ajay Bhatt from Nainital- Udham Singh Nagar constituency, Harish Rawat has staked his claim from the seat.

It is worth mentioning here that the name of Harish Rawat was in the panel from Haridwar seat which he  had won in 2009 Lok Sabha poll. “A shrewd politician as he is, Harish Rawat has realised that in the absence of the heavyweight and the sitting MP Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Nainital is comparatively a safer seat  for him as compared with Haridwar where BSP is poised to eat into the Congress votes substantially.  However, what is standing in the way is  the fierce opposition of Indira Hridayesh  to the entry of Harish Rawat in the electoral theatre of Nainital. This is what has made  the list remaining stuck up,’’  confided a state Congress leader.

It is further learnt that Harish Rawat has categorically  told the party high command that he would contest from Nanital- U S Nagar seat and not from Haridwar. He reportedly has argued that his candidature from Nainital would help the party in neighbouring Almora seat too. The determination of the Congress stalwart to contest from Nainital- US Nagar has landed the  party brass in a dilemma. They are of the view that in case Rawat is allowed to contest from the seat he has his eyes trained upon it would be difficult for the party to wrest   the Haridwar seat from BJP in the absence of a strong candidate to take on the organisational might of BJP and the personal charisma of Nishank who is the saffron candidate.