Congress' Jaipur pick for Lok Sabha election triggers controversy

Days after announcing its third candidates list for the impending Lok Saha election, the candidature that stirred the most controversy is the selection of Sunil Sharma from the Jaipur constituency.

Former IAS officer Sanjay Dixit is the chairman of this forum.

It is being alleged that Sharma has links to 'The Jaipur Dialogues', a known right-wing platform that often mocks the Congress party and its leaders.

Several screenshots being shared on social media X purportedly show one Sunil Sharma as the director.

Congress party MP Shashi Tharoor even raised this on social media, wondering how Sharma found himself on the candidates list.

"He must have undergone some sort of Pauline epiphany on the road to 24 Akbar! This is just one of several dozen tweets from his handle attacking me," he said on X.

Amidst rising speculations, Sharma issued a clarification saying that while he has attended some panel discussions hosted by Jaipur Dialogues, he has no link with its management.

He further said that he parted ways with the company long back and rumours are now being spread with vested interests.

"I was never associated with the management of Jaipur Dialogues YouTube channel. I am often invited by TV channels and YouTube platforms as a panelist to articulate the Congress perspective. In the same way, The Jaipur Dialogues invited me to speak on social issues and elaborate the Congress vision. There I strongly opposed religious bigotry," he said in a statement in Hindi, posted on X.