E-Paper
Ambala MC polls: BJP-JJP yet to finalise seat-sharing arrangement
The filing of nomination papers will take place between December 11 to 16.
Just five days to go before the nomination filing process for the Ambala municipal corporation (MC) elections begins, but the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is yet to announce its seat-sharing agreement with its ally in the state — Jananayak Janata Party (JJP).
The filing of nomination papers will be held from December 11 to 16, except Sunday, and the scrutiny of papers will take place on Thursday along with withdrawals the next day.
The saffron party has till Sunday received nearly 90 applications for wards, district president Rajesh Batoura said.
“We have got nearly 90 names for 20 wards and 11 for the mayor seat. All the names are being processed and formal announcements will be made soon. As of now, we are preparing for the inauguration for our district party office in the city this week,” he said.
On being asked about the alliance, he said, “The high-command will take a call on this and we shall follow the same.”
A party insider on Saturday had said that the declaration of candidate names could begin on December 9 and continue till the first date of filing of nominations i.e. December 11.
“We are expecting that the candidates will be declared in three slots beginning Wednesday, till Friday. Currently, the party is busy verifying the backgrounds and scrutinising the received nominations. Party in-charge Barala has sent around four to five choices for the mayor post to the parliamentary board which will take the final call,” the leader, who didn’t wish to be named, revealed.
The party has been banking on the developmental projects undertaken by its sitting MLA Aseem Goel, but the political instability due to the farmers’ protest has not left Ambala untouched. The JJP is said to be bargaining hard in the elections and Digvijay Chautala, JJP leader and brother of deputy CM Dushyant Chautala, has already said that the party will field its candidate for the mayor’s post in at least one MC. Ambala MC will go to polls on December 27 along with Panchkula and Sonepat MCs.
In its first meeting for the elections chaired by the JJP in-charge and the state chief of the SC cell Ashok Sherwal on Saturday, the party invited applications for wards and mayoral post. Sherwal had told the reporters that the party stands by the farmers, but the alliance will stay put.
“We are a party of farmers and Dushyant ji has already declared that he’ll resign from the government if there is any problem with the MSP. In Ambala, we are analysing our strongholds and will discuss seat-sharing prospects with the BJP,” he said.
The party has received nearly 50 names for wards and three for the mayor seat, JJP district chief Harpal Singh Kamboj said.
