No election tickets for those with criminal records: Rahul

The ruling Congress has a good chance of retaining power in Rajasthan, but it must avoid giving tickets to people with criminal records in the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, party Vice President Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday.

"I am (quite) confident that we will win (and retain power) in the state... although ticket distribution is our internal issue but, in my view, candidates with criminal record should be avoided," Gandhi said, adding that the ticket distribution process would begin soon.

Gandhi was briefing reporters at Birla auditorium in Jaipur at the end of his two-day visit to the state to gather feedback from party workers and state leaders. After having held meetings in Bikaner and Jaipur over the course of the two days, Gandhi today said that the interactions had been fruitful and open.

He praised the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan, saying that it had initiated several pro-people schemes. "We have one formula for our governments, that they should be pro-people and do welfare work for the people... Gehlot has done good work in this direction," Gandhi said.

The Congress leader said that he had expressed in the meetings his opinion that the voice of a maximum number of people should be heard within the party. "We are trying to make sure that the voice of a maximum number of people, including youths and women, can be heard and addressed in the party system.

"There are certain issues... The feedback I got in Rajasthan is the party's internal matter and we will look into it," he said. Gandhi was on his first visit to the state after being anointed the Congress vice-president.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi held discussions with presidents and office bearers of 25 district Congress committees and also met elected Panchayati Raj representatives and PCC office bearers. Gandhi had held similar discussions in Bikaner yesterday where representatives from 15 district committees had met him.