The race to get BJP’s ticket from Chandigarh parliamentary seat is hotting up. Ahead of the lok Sabha election 2014, the BJP is faced with an uphill task to decide on its candidate, with three heavyweights vying for party’s ticket from the city.
Chandigarh BJP president Sanjay Tandon, BJP national chairman of the Committee on legal and Election Commission issues Satya Pal Jain and former Union Minister Harmohan Dhawan are in the race to get party’s ticket from the city. Vying for the party ticket, the three party bigwigs have been flexing their muscles and lobbying hard in Delhi.
Sources in the party said that BJP is likely to announce party’s candidate from Chandigarh parliamentary seat in the first week of February. The three heavyweights have been called in a meeting to be convened with national party leaders on January 27, 28 in New Delhi. Sources added that the party has also carried out a survey in Chandigarh to ascertain the popularity of these three leaders. Now, after convening a meeting with them, the party will arrive at conclusion and announce the candidate.
lately, the three big shots of city BJP have been pulling out all the stops to catch the attention of Central leaders. Besides making a beeline for the houses of Central leaders, the city leaders were also seen campaigning for Delhi Assembly polls to make their presence felt beyond the citypolitics.
To earn brownie points ahead of lok Sabha elections, the city leaders have been frequently meeting the central leaders to raise issues related to the city. Also, the trio has often claimed their closeness with party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. During the protest against local MP Pawan Kumar Bansal for his alleged involvement in the Railway Board bribery scam, the BJP’s trio remained hyperactive in organising party functions, campaigns, meetings etc. “separately” without apprising each other.
Given the bitter relations among three heavyweights in the party, BJP central leadership has been trying hard to mend the fences and put up a united front to boost party’s prospects in the city in the general elections. Party’s in-charge for Chandigarh affairs, Arti Mehra had also directed the three senior leaders to sink their differences to strengthen the party’s base for the crucial upcoming elections and work unitedly to ensure party’s victory in Chandigarh.
When contacted, Arti Mehra, BJP’s in-charge for Chandigarh affairs, said that a meeting will be convened and the BJP Central Election Committee will announce its candidate from Chandigarh. The candidate is likely to be announced in the first week of February, she added. On the other hand, Congress is likely to repose its faith on local MP Pawan Kumar Bansal and field him from Chandigarh parliamentary constituency again. During 2009 lok Sabha elections, Bansal had retained Chandigarh’s seat recording a hat-trick on the seat. The Congress’ local MP Pawan Kumar Bansal had won Chandigarh seat in 1991, 1999 and 2004 and 2009.
Senior leaders of BJP in the race
SANJAY TANDON: He is the son of former BJP Minister Balramji Dass Tandon. In January 2010, he was elected as president of BJP Chandigarh becoming the youngest president of party unit. Tandon has seen many ups and downs during his tenure so far. From protests by party workers to complaints against him sent by senior leaders to central BJP leadership, Tandon survived it all, to become party president of BJP Chandigarh for the second time last year. SATYA PAl JAIN: He is the chairman of BJP’s National legal Working Group as well as BJP’s National Committee for legal Affairs & Election Commission for 2014 General Elections and a member of BJP National Executive Committee. He was elected to the lok Sabha consecutively in 1996 (11th lok Sabha) and 1998 (12th lok Sabha) from Chandigarh as a BJP candidate. He has faced defeat from his archrival Congress’ Pawan Kumar Bansal in the last two General Elections.
HARMOHAN DHAWAN: In 1989, he was elected as Member of Parliament, Chandigarh and became Union Minister of Civil Aviation. He joined BJP in 2010. He fought elections on INlD ticket during 2004 and BSP ticket in 2009. Dhawan had won the city seat in 1989 on Janata Dal ticket.