Parvez Hashmi plans to join fray for Okhla ticket

Factionalism resurfaced once again in the city Congress as Rajya Sabha MP Parvez Hashmi expressed his earnest desire to contest from the Okhla Assembly constituency in the coming elections. The term of Mr Hashmi in Rajya Sabha is due to be over in 2014. Sources in the Delhi Congress said that Mr Hashmi, an arch rival of Asif Mohammad Khan, the sitting MLA who recently joined the Congress party, is holding public meetings to garner support for victory if he gets the ticket. Mr Hashmi has also submitted the form at Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) office triggering controversy in the party, said a source. Mr Hashmi chaired a public meeting at the NFC Club on Monday evening to garner support for his candidature. “Voters in Okhla constituency are against sitting MLA Asif Khan. With the news of Mr Hashmi planning to contest in the upcoming Assembly polls, the voters are extremely delighted. Mr Hashmi has been the MLA from this constituency for three consecutive times before being elected to the Rajya Sabha,” said a source associate of Mr Hashmi. When asked, Congress’ city unit chief J.P. Agarwal said, “I have no idea about Mr Hashmi’s application to contest from Okhla constituency. I have not gone through the application forms yet.” Mr Khan is said to be close to CM Sheila Dikshit and sources say she had asked him to join the party. While Mr Hashmi is known to be having sour relations with Mr Khan, he also is not on good terms with Ms Dikshit and was hence offered the Rajya Sabha seat in year 2008. Mr Hashmi was Congress MLA from Okhla constituency during 1996-2008. Sources claim that if Mr Khan was not offered to join Congress, he would have contested against Ms Dikshit’s son Sandeep Dikshit, MP from East Delhi, in the coming Lok Sabha elections slated to be held in mid-2014 and would have queered the pitch for him.