Prior to lok Sabha elections 2014, the infighting in Chandigarh Congress has intensified with several local Congress leaders demanding that the local MP Pawan Kumar Bansal should not be given ticket from the city this time.
Several party members including HS lucky registered their protest in front of Congress in-charge for Chandigarh affairs, Shakeel Ahmad, who was in the city on Monday to meet the city Congress election committee. HS lucky, who was
considered a close aid of Bansal demanded that the Congress ticket should not be given to Bansal. He demanded that the ticket should be given to any other candidate but not Bansal.
Following the protest, it was decided that the ticket aspirants may send their names to the Congress
election committee by January 29 and a decision of the final candidate will be taken after that.
Ahead of the elections, Congress and local MP’s troubles have seemingly intensified with separate factions in the party coming to the fore. Many Congress’ leaders are against Bansal’s candidature after his alleged involvement in Railway Board Bribery Scam. During 2009 lok Sabha elections, Bansal had retained Chandigarh’s seat recording a hat-trick on the seat. The Congress’ local MP Bansal had won Chandigarh seat in 1991, 1999 and 2004 and 2009.