While the Congress has been engaging advertising agencies for its publicity and campaign strategy in elections for over two decades, the party has, for the first time, hired private agencies — research and survey organisations — to verify the winnability of ticket-seekers and to suggest new potential candidates, if any.

These agencies have been doing surveys in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh for the last few weeks, according to Congress sources. The ruling party at the Centre has apparently adopted a three-tier approach in the candidate-selection process.

The PCC had earlier invited applications from ticket-seekers; there were around 5,000 applicants in Madhya Pradesh only. The Pradesh Election Committee would screen the applications and send the list of shortlisted candidates to the AICC. The second list of potential candidates is to be provided by the party’s election observers. The third tier consists of these private surveyors who would not only assess the winnability of aspirants but would also add new names if necessary, sources said.

This has, however, caused heartburn among the local leadership as they think the new methodology of candidate selection would undermine their authority. “In the past, we have had private agencies to do surveys of the party’s prospects in different constituencies. It is for the first time that they are assessing the prospects of individual candidates. There is nothing wrong with this process, but what is the credibility of these organisations? Do we know the background of the promoters of these agencies,” a senior Congress leader from MP told The Indian Express over phone.

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