COURTESY HT FEB 1

BJP candidates campaigning in Mohali without party symbol

Hillary Victor

hillary.victor@htlive.com

MOHALI : Even though Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has officially released the list of 29 names for municipal corporation elections, but most of the candidates are campaigning without the party symbol. They have put up banners and posters without the symbol and photographs of any senior party leaders.

With Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) snapping ties with the BJP last year due to the contentious agriculture laws, the BJP has decided to contest alone on all 50 seats. In the last MC elections held in 2015, out of total 50 seats, BJP in alliance got 18 seats, but they contested only on 11 seats for the lack of adequate candidates and won only 6 seats.

Rakhi Pathak, president of BJP Mahila Morcha in Mohali contesting from ward number 31 has not put any symbol or photograph of any senior leaders on her posters/banners. She said, “I am a little busy filling my nomination papers, will include the party symbol after my nomination.”

Mohali BJP secretary and spokesperson Ashok Jha, who is also contesting elections said, “My banners do have the party symbol, except the ones which were damaged by some miscreants at a few places. We are well placed to win the elections.”

Another former BJP councillor, Bobby Kamboj, who was denied the party ticket this time, said, “I appeal all the BJP candidates to surrender their party tickets for farmers, who lost their lives during the protest in Delhi. I support the farmer’s agitation. I will contest the elections independently from ward number 27. It is for sure that all 50 BJP candidates will forfeit their security.”

BJP’s state executive member Sukhwinder Singh Goldy said the candidates will put the symbol and photographs on their banners once they file the nominations. Local MLA and cabinet minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said BJP will be completely wiped out in the MC elections from Mohali. “There is a strong undercurrent against the saffron party over the farm laws. People have made up their minds to elect Congress,” he said.

The municipal body is elected for a period of five years and its previous term ended on April 26 last year. In the last term, Congress had 14 councillors and the SAD-BJP won 23 seats. The Azad group, which was led by former mayor Kulwant Singh won 10 seats and two seats were bagged by independent councillors. In the 2015 elections, 27 councillors, including 10 from Azad group, 14 Congress and two independents, had elected Kulwant as the mayor, but later in August 2017, he joined SAD.

20 names released for Kharar civic polls

BJP Punjab state president Ashwani Sharma on Sunday gave his nod to 20 candidates for the Kharar municipal council elections scheduled on February 14. The decision in this regard was taken after a meeting of the State Election Committee (SEC) held under the leadership of Sharma. Kharar election in-charge Vineet Joshi said BJP had announced 20 of the 27 candidates and the remaining will be announced soon