NEW DELHI — A number of Congress leaders are shying away from contesting general elections fearing defeat. They are nervous over the party's poll prospects. Shipping Minister in the Union Cabinet G.K. Vasan on Tuesday ruled himself out of the Lok Sabha contest. Vasari declaration comes in the wake of reports that Information Minister Manish Tewari does not want to take the field in Punjab though sources said his reluctance stems from personal reasons. Tewari's name has not figured among sitting Punjab Parliamentarians declared in the first list of 194 candidates on Saturday, triggering speculation whether he will be the Congress candidate from Ludhiana. recently, Leader of the opposition in Odisha assembly Bhupinder Singh joined principal rival Biju Janata Dal (BJD) as did Bhagirath Prasad who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after he was announced the candidate from Bhind seat in Madhya Pradesh. The sensational defections are undercutting the Congress attempt to project the 2014 elections as normal in the wake of an entrenched perception that the party is facing an uphill task after successive wins in 2004 and 2009.
