AICC Chandigarh in-charge Rajiv Shukla termed former union minister Pawan Kumar Bansal a dedicated Congress worker even as the latter has been conspicuous by his absence from party candidate Manish Tewari’s campaign. Bansal has, however, been seen actively campaigning for the party candidates in Panchkula and Mohali.
A four-time Member of Parliament from Chandigarh, Bansal was a strong contender for the ticket this time but had lost out to Tewari. Upset over this, he has been staying away from Tewari’s campaign.
Bansal’s son, Manish Bansal, has also been campaigning for the Congress candidate in Barnala, where he unsuccessfully contested the Vidhan Sabha elections in 2022.
It is learnt that Tewari had met Bansal twice at his home, and latter gave him his blessings.
Chandigarh Congress president HS Lucky said, “The Congress is united, and Pawan Bansal is a senior leader for whom we all have high regards. He is campaigning in Panchkula and Mohali and we are hopeful that he will soon join the campaign in Chandigarh soon.”
On May 5, local leaders from Bansal’s camp had joined Tewari’s campaign. Senior Congress leader and former mayor Ravinder Pal Singh said, “The time has come to put up a united face as it is not just an MP’s seat but about saving the Constitution of the country, for which we all have to make sacrifices.”
{{/usCountry}}On May 5, local leaders from Bansal’s camp had joined Tewari’s campaign. Senior Congress leader and former mayor Ravinder Pal Singh said, “The time has come to put up a united face as it is not just an MP’s seat but about saving the Constitution of the country, for which we all have to make sacrifices.”
{{/usCountry}}In the 2014 parliamentary election, BJP’s Kirron Kher won with 1.91 lakh votes (42.20%) while Bansal polled 1.21 lakh votes (26.84%). AAP candidate Gul Panag had received 1.08 lakh votes (23.97%).
In 2019, Kher won again with 2.31 lakh votes (50.64%) while Bansal got 1.84 lakh votes (40.35%), and AAP candidate Harmohan Dhawan polled 13,781 votes (3.82%).
Voting in Chandigarh is scheduled for June 1. This time, the AAP and Congress are contesting the elections jointly as part of INDIA bloc.
Shukla hits out at BJP
Meanwhile, Rajiv Shukla while addressing mediapersons in Chandigarh, accused the BJP of misusing religion for political gains. Predicting a comfortable victory for the INDIA bloc, he said the BJP’s support base was eroding. “Leave aside 400 seats, they will not even reach half of that number,” he claimed.
Shukla said, in Chandigarh, the INDIA bloc candidate Manish Tewari was all set to win with a record margin.