Old BJP functionary quits over ticket distribution in Noida, other areas - Hindustan Times
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Old BJP functionary quits over ticket distribution in Noida, other areas

Noida | By, Noida
Jan 24, 2017 11:46 PM IST

Upset over BJP giving party tickets to turncoats, party functionary from Jewar, Pankaj Kaushik, resigned

Upset over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) giving party tickets to turncoats, party functionary from Jewar, Pankaj Kaushik, resigned from the party on Tuesday.

Workers have been upset over BJP tickets to turncoats and to home minister Rajnath Singh’s son, Pankaj (right).(Burhaan Kinu/HT Photo)
Workers have been upset over BJP tickets to turncoats and to home minister Rajnath Singh’s son, Pankaj (right).(Burhaan Kinu/HT Photo)

Kaushik, who spent 17 years with the BJP, said he has resigned as the party is doing nothing for Jewar assembly constituency’s development. He also said that Gautam Budh Nagar MP Dr Mahesh Sharma, who is also Union minister of state for tourism and culture, is ignoring party workers and helped turncoats get tickets from Jewar and Dadri seats.

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“I was very upset when the BJP fielded long-time Congressman Dhirendra Singh from Jewar. He had quit the Congress and joined the BJP on January 8. Suddenly, the BJP gave him a ticket, making a mockery of party workers who had put their blood and sweat for strengthening the organisation. In Dadri too, the party fielded Tejpal Nagar who was earlier in the BSP and the Congress,” said Kaushik.

The 47-year-old has worked as general secretary in Gautam Budh Nagar’s BJP unit and president of Greater Noida’s Dankaur BJP unit. Dr Sharma had also appointed him as his representative in Jewar after becoming Gautam Budh Nagar MP.

“I thought the BJP would field a party worker from Noida seat as they already made mistakes in Dadri and Jewar. But now I realise that the BJP is not a worker-based party anymore. It is following the Congress model of dynasty politics. If you are close to a minister or the son of a home minister, you are eligible to get a ticket. You cannot get a ticket merely on the basis of hard work, dedication or loyalty to ideology,” said Kaushik.

He also claimed over 1,000 BJP workers are on their way to resign from the party along with him.

Dr Sharma, however, denied Kaushik’s claims.

“All his allegations are false and completely baseless. I have devoted enough time to workers and to my constituency. No other leader gives as much time to workers as I do. His leaving will not affect our party at all. As far as the issue of tickets is concerned, the Central leadership has chosen all three candidates. I had removed Kaushik as my representative a year ago as he was not working seriously,” he said.

On Sunday, BJP’s district general secretary Sanjay Bali had resigned from his post in the BJP in protest against the party giving the ticket from Noida to Pankaj Singh, son of Union home minister Rajnath Singh. However, Bali was seen at Pankaj’s press conference on Monday and was also present on Tuesday when Pankaj filed his nomination papers at the collectorate in Greater Noida.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Vinod Rajput writes on environment, infrastructure, real estate and government policies in Noida and Greater Noida. He has reported on environment and infrastructure in Delhi, Gurgaon and Panchkula in the past.

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