With BJP declaring Joginder Singh Rautela as party’s candidate for the seat of the mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Haldwani (MCH), senior BJP leader Hukum Singh Kunwar filed his nomination for the mayor seat here on Thursday as an independent candidate after he was denied ticket by the BJP, accusing the party of demanding money.
The BJP leaders clearly told me that you don’t have money. Therefore You can’t fight the election, alleged Kunwar after filing his nomination here today.
I would like to say can the election be fought only with moneyIJ I was also seeking the party ticket for MlA during the last assembly elections. But that time too my candidature was ignored. I have served for more than three decades in this party. But the BJP has continuously ignored me. Therefore, now I have filed my nomination as an independent candidate for the post of the city mayor, Now it is upto the public to decide, Kunwar maintained.
Though the BJP workers have welcomed the party’s decision to declare Joginder Rautela as its candidate for mayor of MCH, many a number of party workers were a bit disappointed for not giving ticket for mayor of Haldwani city to the candidates of their choice.
Among others senior BJP leader Harish Pande was also in the race of seeking ticket of mayor of MCH. He had been in touch with senior partyleader in regard to seek ticket for the Haldwani city mayor post for long.
But the party finally managed to nominate former councilor of municipal council of Haldwani Joginder Singh Rautela as its candidate.
However, as the party insiders here believe that with senior party leader Hukum Singh Kunwar becoming rebel and ignoring candidature of senior party leader Harish Pande for the post of the city mayor, it won’t be easy for the BJP to corner the Haldwani mayor seat.
It is to note that the Haldwani civic body is going to election for the first time after it was upgraded as the corporation. Challenges are huge coupled with poor economic condition of the MCH.
Yet the enthusiasm among the leaders of different political parties and independent candidates is huge too become the mayor of the Haldwani city.
About half a dozen candidates have filed nomination for the post of mayor of Haldwani. As the people here believe the number of candidates for the post of mayor could be long as nomination would continue till April 12.