E-Paper
Sensing opportunity, Congress takes the lead in prepping for imminent Ambala Lok Sabha by-poll
Congress party, primarily a faction led by former state president Kumari Selja, has become active in enthusing cadre to start preparing for an imminent by-poll for the Ambala Lok Sabha seat, necessitated by the demise of sitting BJP MP Rattan Lal Kataria
More than two weeks after the demise of sitting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member of Parliament (MP) from Ambala seat, Rattan Lal Kataria, the Congress party, primarily a faction led by former state president Kumari Selja, has become active in enthusing cadre to start preparing for an imminent by-poll.
Three-time MP from the seat and a former union minister, Kataria died on May 18 at PGIMER, Chandigarh, after a brief illness.
The seat was declared vacant by the Lok Sabha secretariat two days after his death, which opened the Parliamentary constituency up for a by-election.
As per Representation of People Act, the election commission (EC) will have to hold the bypoll by November 18, which is within a period of six months from the date of the occurrence of the vacancy.
The bypoll could prove to be a test of popularity for the ruling BJP, with the opposition, the Congress, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) looking to make inroads before the EC rings the bell for the 2024 general elections.
Nine assembly constituencies — Ambala City, Ambala Cantt, Mullana, Naraingarh, Yamunanagar, Jagadhri, Sadhaura, Panchkula, Kalka — fall under the Lok Sabha seat.
In 2019, the BJP had won the seat by over 3.42 lakh votes, with Selja, a two-time MP from the seat coming in second.
Selja at the forefront
Amid speculations of the by-poll announcement in a month or so, Selja has chaired a couple of meetings at her residence in Cantonment, getting an insight of the mood of her loyalists.
Last week, she met party leaders and workers from Ambala, Panchkula and Yamunanagar, whereafter party’s working president and her close aide, Ramkishan Gujjar too chaired a meeting this week.
A party leader who attended the meeting said, :We are in election mood already and duties have been assigned at booth level to activate party workers since a bypoll announcement could be made anytime.”
Gujjar said the party will go door-to-door as part to spread their campaign message.
But it will be interesting to see how the Congress state unit led by Udai Bhan, a close aide of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, plays out its strategy.
The BJP or Jannayak Janta Party has not shown any signs of activity so far. The JJP did not contest the seat in 2019 as it was handed over to its then ally, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Speaking of the party’s approach, a senior BJP leader said, “We have not convened any meeting to discuss the bypoll, as the party is busy in celebrating nine years of Modi government and a series of events are already lined up the whole June. But we are ready to contest.”
State home minister and Ambala Cantt legislator Anil Vij, meanwhile, said, “The general elections are approaching, but if the ECI announces a bypoll on the seat, our party is ready to contest. Our workers are always on the field.”
AAP, which has recently put in place an organisational structure in the state, is also willing to contest the polls, party’s unit vice-president Chitra Sarwara said.
