Rajwinder Kaur Bhagike, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA from Nihalsinghwala constituency in Moga district, resigned from the party on Monday after she was denied the ticket to contest the 2017 assembly polls. She was replaced by Shiv Ram Kaler, who at present is MLA from Jagraon.
Bhagike is the fourth MLA to quit the party over denial of ticket, after former minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur, Phillaur MLA Avinash Chander and Baghapurana MLA Maheshinder Singh.
Also read | MLA report card: Bhagike from Nihalsinghwala
The move came a week after Bhagike during a show of strength gave seven days to the party to reconsider its decision after the first list of 69 candidates came out.
Apparently targeting agriculture minister Tota Singh, she said that the Akali Dal has given “four-four tickets to family members of a single leader, who has even failed to curb the drug menace from the notorious Daulewala village”.
“Forgetting the sacrifices of dedicated and taksali (traditional) leaders, the party is under the impression that a single party leader can make it win all assembly seats. The party will regret this,” she said.
Bhagike said that had her father-in-law Jaura Singh Bhagike, a senior Akali leader, not gone to jail during Emergency, their family would be among the rich class “and then the Akali Dal would have requested us to take poll tickets”.
{{/usCountry}}Bhagike said that had her father-in-law Jaura Singh Bhagike, a senior Akali leader, not gone to jail during Emergency, their family would be among the rich class “and then the Akali Dal would have requested us to take poll tickets”.
{{/usCountry}}“The party neglected the sacrifices of my father-in-law and favoured corrupt and defamed leaders,” she said.
She said she has not decided anything about her future and “will go by the supporters’ decision”. Sources said she may fight as an independent candidate.