Sandeep Rana
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 5
The political upheaval in the BJP yesterday turned out to be a damp squib today.
In a blow to BJP's rebel councillor Chandrawati Shukla, her nomination for the post of Mayor was rejected on technical grounds today. She had filed her papers in protest against the party's official candidate, Ravi Kant Sharma.
While Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla was her proposer, Satish Kainth was the seconder in the nomination form. The Congress had yesterday declared that Babla might withdraw his candidature to support Shukla, but the plan came a cropper today.
MC Secretary Anil Kumar Garg reasoned: "One person cannot be a proposer or seconder more than once. Councillor Kainth was the proposer for Babla and seconder for Shukla. Thus, the second nomination was invalid."
However, Leader of the Opposition Devinder Singh Babla alleged: "It is due to the pressure of the ruling BJP that Shukla's nomination was cancelled. Before this, the BJP had wrongly changed the wards during the delimitation process. People will teach the BJP a lesson in the coming MC elections."
City BJP president Arun Sood said: "As per Section 59 of the MC Act, the nomination was rightly rejected. If the Congress thinks there is an anomaly, it can move the court. Thirteen new villages were added to the the MC limits, so ward delimitation was bound to happen. The Congress does nothing else than abusing the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi."
Looming issues
Shukla's candidature may have been rejected, but the threat of cross-voting still looms large over the BJP.
Sources said unhappy councillors might turn the tables in favour of Congress Mayor nominee Babla during the elections on January 8 in the MC House.
Though there are 27 votes in the House, the saffron party has already lost several votes before the poll. Ex officio member MP Kirron Kher and councillor Heera Negi are unlikely to come due to ill-health. Former ally and SAD's lone councillor Hardeep Singh has already declared to boycott the poll. BJP councillor Bharat Kumar has announced his resignation stating that he would not vote for anyone.
Sood, however, said: "All our 20 councillor votes are intact. They will vote for the party candidate." The Congress has five councillors.
'Will not allow mobile phones'
Congress Mayor candidate Babla said they would ensure that no BJP councillor brought mobile phones to the House on the date of voting. Reportedly, some councillors are asked to click photos as a proof that they voted for the party nominee only.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/3oiRI69
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