Badri Tewari is Cong mayoral candidate

THE LAST day of the nomination process for local bodies? election witnessed high drama with the Congress finally ending all speculations and fielding Badri Narayan Tewari for the mayor?s post and police lathicharging supporters of BJP candidate Ravindra Patni for breaching peace.

THE LAST day of the nomination process for local bodies’ election witnessed high drama with the Congress finally ending all speculations and fielding Badri Narayan Tewari for the mayor’s post and police lathicharging supporters of BJP candidate Ravindra Patni for breaching peace.

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After hectic parleys in New Delhi, the Congress chose Tewari as its man for the mayor’s post. Tewari, along with his close associates and drum beaters, arrived at the Kanpur Municipal Corporation (KMC) around 12 noon. However, he waited till 12.30 pm to file his papers as it happened to be his auspicious moment. That the choice of Tewari was not unanimous became evident as no Congress leader accompanied him to the KMC. Even when Tewari returned an hour later to file his second set of papers there were very few senior party leaders of the District Congress Committee (DCC) there. Only district unit chief Mahesh Dixit, party MLA Sanjeev Dariabadi and senior party leader Shanker Datt Mishra were present.

Tewari’s candidature is being viewed as yet another victory for Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal and a jolt to the party faction led by MLA Ajay Kapoor.

Earlier, Jaiswal had succeeded in removing Abdul Mannan from the DCC president’s post and managed to get his loyalist Mahesh Dixit on the chair.

Talking to newsmen, Tewari said his priorities would be to improve the civic infrastructure of the city and action against land mafia.

“I will ensure that residential houses at Yashoda Nagar, Gopal Nagar and other areas of the city are not demolished and action taken against land mafia,” Tewari added. He said the KMC financial crisis would be arrested by ensuring proper realisation of house tax.

BJP candidate Ravindra Patni also filed his second set of nomination papers on Monday. All senior party leaders, including former MPs Shyam Behari Mishra and Jagat Veer Singh Drone, former Mayor Sarla Singh, party MLA Premlata Katiyar and senior trader leader Manikant Jain, accompanied Patni.

But over enthusiastic supporters of Patni created a ruckus at the KMC. They tried to break the barricading and cops had to resort to lathicharge. Six BJP activists were injured in the process.

Patni said his priorities would include improving the civic amenities and action against land mafia. He also assured to stop demolition of residential houses.

Commenting on BJP rebel and Samajwadi Party candidate Neeraj Chaturvedi, Patni said, “Those who have left the party will repent later. It will have no impact on my election.”

Chaturvedi also arrived with senior party leader Surendra Mohan Agarwal to file his second set of nomination papers. Once a die-hard advocate of BJP brand of Hindutva, Chaturvedi proved to be a perfect politician by changing his outfit to appeal to Muslim voters.

Replying to a query, Chaturvedi said, “I have changed myself and will henceforth follow the Samajwadi ideology.”