Chandigarh Congress seems to be facing worst ever factional infighting among its senior leaders ahead of upcoming lok Sabha polls.
A day after several Congress leaders protested against giving ticket to local MP Pawan Kumar Bansal, another faction of Congress leaders on Tuesday come forward in support of Bansal.
A statement issued on Tuesday by the office bearers of District Congress Committee (DCC), urban II, Chandigarh and its constituent Block Congress Committees, condemned the move of President DCC urban I, HS lucky and his protest against Bansal.
The party leaders including former Mayor Pardeep Chhabra also vehemently denied factionalism in the party Unit of Chandigarh. The leaders stated that all the workers of the party stand united under the leadership of Pawan Kumar Bansal and would wholeheartedly work for his success and to keep the party flag high in this prestigious constituency as he is the best, deserving and winning candidate.
“During all these long years as Member Parliament from Chandigarh and as a Minister in the Central Government, Bansal has endeared himself to the residents and voters of Chandigarh by serving them with utmost sincerity and honesty, total devotion and dedication, ceaseless and untiring hard work,” said the leaders in the statement issued.
A day back, several Congress leaders including city president DCC urban I, HS lucky had demanded that the local MP Bansal should not be given ticket from the city this time.
They had met Congress in-charge for Chandigarh affairs, Shakeel Ahmad, ahead of city Congress election committee held on Monday. About 40 leaders led by lucky had alleged that the city election committee is secretly working and Bansal’s name is being recommended without apprising and discussing with others.
They had demanded that a new young face should be given chance to fight on Congress’ ticket from Chandigarh constituency this time. The anti-Bansal faction had also demanded that the ticket should be given to any other candidate but not to Bansal.
They insisted that the city Congress election committee should send names of aspirants for more ticket along with Bansal’s names. Following their protest, it was decided that the ticket aspirants may send their names to the city Congress election committee by January 29.
And, the names of aspirants will be sent to Delhi for selection of the candidate. Even as the party is trying hard to put its own house in order prior to crucial lok Sabha polls, ticket race have further widened the rift between the party senior leaders.
In October last year, the election committee of Congress Chandigarh unit had recommended Bansal’s name. At that time also, the decision led senior leaders to express their displeasure for not being consulted for the recommendation of a name.
After the Railway Board bribery scam wherein Bansal’s nephew was caught accepting bribe, several questions were raised on his candidature from Chandigarh constituency seat.
Among the names that are doing the rounds are that of Union Ministers Manish Tewari and Kapil Sibal from city parliamentary seat.In Chandigarh also, there are several ticket aspirants including HS lucky, Subhash Chawla, Mukesh Bassi, Bhupinder Badheri, Chander Mukhi Sharma, among others.
During 2009 lok Sabha elections, Bansal had retained Chandigarh’s seat recording a hat-trick. He had won the seat in 1991, 1999 and 2004 and 2009.