Delhi Congress on Wednesday expelled 73 members in its Delhi unit for six years after the dismal performance of the party in last month’s MCD elections. The action was initiated against those who defied the party’s directions and contested against official Congress candidates or fielded their relatives in the MCD elections held in April, said Narendra Nath, chairman of disciplinary committee of the Delhi Congress.
Though dissident activities had plagued all the three main parties during the MCD polls, the BJP, the AAP and the Congress, this is the first major action by any of them. The Congress had managed to win only 31 of the 272 wards in South, North and East Delhi Municipal Corporations.
“The decision to expel the rebels and their relatives who fought MCD elections against party candidates was taken unanimously in a meeting of the disciplinary committee,” Nath said.
He said that the party is also going through complaints of anti-party activities by senior party leaders in the civic body polls and will issue show cause notices after scrutiny of the complaints by party candidates in MCD polls.
Those who have been expelled from the party include four former councillors.”A curious case was that of sitting Nangli Sakrawati councillor Satender Singh Rana. He was given party ticket from Chhawla ward but he fielded his wife against our candidate from Nangli ward,” Nath said.
Similarly, the then sitting Kasturba Nagar ward councillor Ravi Kalshi who was denied ticket in MCD polls fielded his daughter-in-law against Congress. Both were expelled, he said.