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Chandigarh MC polls: BJP shows the door to five rebels for ‘anti-party’ acts
Ever since it announced its tickets, earlier this month, for the forthcoming Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) elections, the BJP has been facing rebellion within the party. Around a dozen dissidents had even filed nominations as Independents against the party’s official candidates.
In a strong message to party dissidents, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expelled five rebel candidates on Monday while more such action is expected on Tuesday.
Gurpreet Singh Happy (Ward 9), Kripanand Thakur (Ward 20), Narender Chaudhary (Ward 26), Mukesh Goyal and Ashwani Gupta (Ward 32) were expelled from the party for six years for “anti-party” activities.
Chandigarh state president Arun Sood, said, “The party will not tolerate any indiscipline or anti-party activity. The dissidents were given 10 days to explain their position and withdraw their candidature in favour of the party’s official candidate. But after their non-conformity with the party’s discipline, they were expelled from the party.”
Around four to five expulsion are expected within a day or two as party’s ultimatum to other dissidents ends on Tuesday, said Sood.
Ever since it announced its tickets, earlier this month, for the forthcoming Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) elections, the BJP has been facing rebellion within the party. Around a dozen dissidents had even filed nominations as Independents against the party’s official candidates.
There was anger on how the party “ignored” the claims of the dedicated party workers and made decisions based on internal party groupings. Sood group was seen as taking the major chunk of tickets. Sood, though, has maintained that it was the extensive surveys conducted by the party and the merit of individual candidates that dictated the selection of the candidates.
Party efforts to manage dissidents
Senior party leaders from Delhi, former city chief Sanjay Tandon and local office bearers, including Sood, were put into action to convince the rebel candidates to align themselves with the party’s decision on ticket allotment. Party leaders met the dissidents and even offered alternative senior party post to them; it is learnt.
The party was successful in convincing four rebel candidates including Rashmi (ward 9), wife of party leader Devendra Singh, and Yashpal Yadav (ward 25) and Ramesh Kumar Nikku (ward 32) to withdraw their nominations. But the party failed to bring most of the dissidents back into party’s fold.
Tandon, said, “Their initial disappointment is understandable and the party was in constant communication with them. But party’s discipline is paramount, and so action has to be taken against dissidents.”
Responding to his expulsion, a former BJP national Kisan Morcha member and three-time Daria sarpanch, Gurpreet Singh Happy, said, “I have already resigned from the party. I was with the party since 1992, and served the party with dedication at different levels. I have nothing more to say on the issue just that party will learn a lesson on December 27 (MC poll result date).” Happy’s wife Harpreet Kaur is contesting from Ward No 9.
Another long-time party worker, Narender Pal Chaudhary, a former state coordinator, Swachh Bharat Vibhag, and a former member of the SC Morcha national executive committee, said, “For more than 30 years, I have dedicatedly worked for the party. But now, people with criminal background are being given tickets. This is the reason I resigned from the party and am contesting as an Independent.”
Congress, BJP face Azad Front challenge
Notably, the challenge of the rebel leaders has become stiffer for the party after an “Azad Front”, comprising of independent candidates, primarily rebel candidates from Congress and BJP, came together. These candidates have decided to form a united grouping and offer each other help in the elections.
The main opposition party, Congress, is facing nearly 12 rebel candidates in different wards. Three of its functionaries even joined the AAP as its candidates after the grand old party rejected their claims to party tickets. Also, nearly 22 candidates in the Aam Admi Party (AAP) are former Congress leaders. They had recently left the party after former Congress city president Pardeep Chhabra resigned from the party and joined AAP.
The Congress got a fresh setback on Monday when its three-time councillor Sheela Phool Singh joined the BJP. Singh was denied Congress ticket. A Congress rebel candidate and party’s former organisational secretary Prem Pal Chauhan also joined BJP.
