New Delhi, Following the outbursts by senior party leaders Margaret Alva and Yogendra Makwana over the alleged irregularities in the ticket distribution, more party leaders are expected to come out against the manner in which party is being run by Ahmed Patel, political secretary to the Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Both Alva and Makwana are considered to be anti Patel who has been instrumental in denying ticket to Alva's son and some of her favourites in the assembly elections in Karnataka. Similarly, Makwana had also accused Patel of selling ticket to some of the candidates who had a recently joined the party during the elections to Gujarat assembly.

According to the sources some senior leaders have also complained to the party president about the manner in which Patel misled her during the course of candidate selection process in the poll-bound states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajeshtan and Delhi. The union human resources development minister Arjun Singh is reported to have expressed his anguish as many of his supporters were denied tickets. In MP, Patel along with Digvijay Singh and state party chief Suresh Pachouri walked away with loan share.

In Chhattisgarh, it was Ajit Jogi who dominated the numbers of tickets given to the Congress candidates. The leader of opposition in the state and senior Congress legislature Mahendra Karma has accused Jogi of indirectly supporting his rival and CPI candidate in Naxal-hit Dantewara district.

The Congress treasurer Motil Lal Vora, who also hails from
Chattishgarh, is also sulking, as he failed to get tickets for his loyalists other than his son Arun Vora to contest assembly elections on Congress ticket. While Jogi has the backing of Patel, Vora is considered to be against him.

In Delhi and Rajasthan with the active support of Patel and his group, Ashok Gehlot and Shiela Dixit got majority of their supporters getting party tickets causing large-scale resentment among the state party leaders.

Meanwhile, Congress on Tuesday attacked Margaret Alva accusing her of serious breach of discipline and said her allegations were motivated by the fact that her son was denied assembly election ticket.

"She is unhappy that her son was denied a ticket in the Karnataka assembly elections. The motivation is clearly there. Is it not motivated? Otherwise she would not have talked of morals. It is not a moral issue," Congress chief spokesperson Veerappa Moily. Moily is considered to be a close confident of Patel in the existing political equations in the Congress. Patel was instrumental in Moily being given important assignments in the government and the party.

There are indications that DAC would take stern action against both the rebels as some of the members of the committee have hinted that the outbursts were serious breach of party discipline and could amount to expulsion. Makwana, a dalit leader, has also indicated that he would be floating his own regional outfit in Gujarat. He is also contemplating to ally with Bahujan Samaj Party in Gujarat in the next year general elections.

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