Council polls: Sameer, not Tariq, is Congress nominee

PATNA: A day after announcing former parliamentarian Tariq Anwar’s name as its candidate for Bihar legislative council elections, Congress replaced him with party’s state acting president Sameer Singh on Thursday, the last date for filing of nomination papers.
Congress’s state incharge Shaktisinh Gohil cited “technical reasons” for the last-minute change of the party’s nominee.“As per the Representation of the People’s Act, a person contesting Vidhan Parishad or Vidhan Sabha election needs to be in the voter list of that state from where he is contesting. Though Tariqji is from Bihar, he stays in Delhi these days and his name is in Delhi’s voter list,” Gohil told TOI over phone.
Anwar had contested from Katihar Lok Sabha constutuency last year as one does not need to have his/her name in the voter list of the state concerned for contesting parliamentary election.
Sources said Anwar reached Patna on Thursday and started readying his documents at the residence of Congress legislative party leader Sadanand Singh in presence of other party leaders. “We had some doubts regarding candidate’s name in the voter list. However, we decided to change the party’s nominee after discussing the matter with the Election Commission,” a party source said.
“Since the nomination papers had to be filed by 2pm on Thursday, the candidates who were ready with all documents were asked to come forward. Eight or eleven people were ready with their papers. Sameer’s name was finalised in consultation with the party’s high command,” Gohil said.