While many Congress members sympathised with former Union Minister C K Jaffer Sharief over a “raw deal” when his grandson was denied a ticket for the Karnataka Assembly elections, there were few who shed tears for powerful general secretary Margaret Alva whose son Nivedit was also denied a nomination. Alva, in charge of half a dozen states, including Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland, is perceived to be close to 10 Janpath. Her detractors in the party—quite sizeable in number—term the denial of ticket to her son as poetic justice for her “dictatorial” style of functioning. Only a few weeks ago there was a host of Congress leaders from Meghalaya camping in Delhi to protest at not getting tickets. Former chief minister J D Rymbai, for instance, joined the United Democratic Party after the Congress did not select him to fight the polls. Even in Nagaland, Alva is believed to have been behind the Centre’s dismissal of the Neiphiu Rio government last January, despite the NCP’s protests. In recent days, Alva has also been gunning for Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.

editor@expressindia.com