The list of the Congress leaders who were ready to dare the official candidates of the party became clear only after 3 pm today, which was the last day for withdrawal of nominations.

A high-level meeting of Congress leaders, including Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Sheila Dikshit, was held tonight at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) to decide on the candidates who will be facing disciplinary action for anti-party activities.

According to sources in the AICC, prominent among these are independent candidate from Gole Market -- Ramesh Sabharwal, Jagdish Pradhan from Qarawal Nagar, Uday Kaushik and Sunil Vashist from Babarpur and H.S. Harnotia from Seemapuri. Ramesh Sabharwal now has the dubious distinction of contesting against the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Sheila Dikshit who is contesting from the Gole Market Assembly constituency.

``The Congress received 1,800 applications for the 70 constituencies. There is bound to be some discontent once the official list of candidates was announced. This disciplinary action is only to show that anti-party activities will not be ignored,'' a highly place source in the party said.

Says Dr Roshal Lal, chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of the DPCC, ``Sabharwal will face substantial and firm punishment. He may have to now go out of the party and may even be debarred''.

Ramesh Sabharwal had recently been picked by the Disciplinary Committee for going to press against a rival candidate during the elections of the Delhi Pradesh Youth Congress president a few months back. But he had got away by tendering an apology.

In a repeat of the same situation, Lal said, ``There is no question of an apology now. He (Sabharwal) is contesting against a Congress candidate which in itself is a violation of the party directives. Especially so, when that candidate happens to be the Delhi Congress president''.

According to party directives for the code of conduct for leaders, the action that constitutes for contesting against another Congress candidate is suspension, debarring from elections or political post for six years.

The five-member Disciplinary Committee would first send notices to these candidates for appearing before the panel. And if the names are finalised then the notices would go out in a couple of days.