CM’s Brother to Contest as Independent in Punjab, JD(U) to Contest against BJP in UP
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 16: While the Congress is facing “star rebellion” from within in Punjab, the BJP may be forced to fight against its Bihar ally JD(U) at some of the seats in Uttar Pradesh. After receiving no response from the BJP over is offer to jointly contest the UP elections, the JD(U) has decided that it would contest the UP polls on its own.
The Congress in trying to adhere to some of the basics, is faced with the rebellion from the brother of the Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi. His younger brother Manohar Singh has declared that he would contest as an independent from the Bassi Pathana constituency. Singh was denied a Congress ticket because of the party’s ‘one family, one ticket’ rule and the chief minister has already been given the ticket to re-contest the polls. Channi is yet to react to the announcement. Bassi Pathana falls in the Puaadh cultural region of Punjab and is seen as the home turf of Channi and his community
In its first list of 86 candidates, the Congress on Saturday gave the Bassi Pathana ticket to its sitting legislator Gurpreet Singh GP. Manohar Singh dubbed the decision of the Congress giving ticket to Gurpreet Singh GP as “injustice” with the people of the constituency and alleged that the sitting legislator was “incapable and ineffective.” Gurpreet Singh is believed to have the blessings of the state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.
“Several prominent people of Bassi Pathana area have asked me to fight as an independent and I will go by what they have said. There is no chance of going back and I will surely fight the polls,” Manohar Singh said. “I will contest as an independent and ensure the defeat of the sitting Congress MLA who has been fielded again,” he was seen telling a gathering of supporters in a video. Singh had in August last year resigned as a senior medical officer from the Kharar civil hospital and began preparations for contesting the polls. He said he would talk to his chief minister brother and explain his decision.
The Congress sitting member in Moga has already crossed over to the BJP on being denied ticket for re-contest as the Congress has favoured a recent entrant Malavika Sood, the sister of the Bollywood actor Sonu Sood, known for his philanthropic nature, for the seat.
Meanwhile, Channi has urged the Election Commission of India to postpone the assembly polls in Punjab by six days in view of Guru Ravidas Jayanti. Punjab is set to go for a one-phase polling in all the 117 constituencies on February 14.
In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra, Channi wrote that it was brought to his notice by some representatives of the Scheduled Castes community, which contributes around 32 per cent of the state’s population, that the birth anniversary of Guru Ravidas falls on February 16.
“On this occasion, a large number of SC (Scheduled Caste) devotees (about 20 lakh) from the state are likely to visit Banaras in Uttar Pradesh from February 10 to 16,” Channi wrote. “In such a situation, many people from this community would not be able to cast their votes for the state assembly, which is otherwise their constitutional right,” he said. “They have requested that the voting date may be extended in such a way that they are able to visit Banaras from February 10 to February 16 as also participate in the assembly elections,” he said.
Channi said, “It is considered fair and appropriate that the voting for Punjab assembly elections 2022, may be postponed for at least six days, enabling about 20 lakh people to utilise their right to vote for the state legislative assembly.” Earlier, the Bahujan Samaj Party’s Punjab chief Jasvir Singh Garhi had also asked the Election Commission to reschedule polls from February 14 to February 20.
In UP, the JD(U) said its leaders would meet in Lucknow on Tuesday to take a call on the state elections. “We waited till last moments for alliance with the BJP,” JD (U) national spokesperson KC Tyagi said. “Our party colleague and Union minister RCP Singh had been in talks with top BJP leaders. But it did not work out. We have now decided to go it all alone in UP.”
The JD(U) had submitted to the BJP a list of 31 candidates as a proposal to fight the polls jointly, but said the ruling party had not responded to the offer. Tyagi said although the JD(U) was not adamant on contesting on a specific number of seats, it did not get any “concrete word” from BJP.
While releasing its first list of candidates on Saturday, the BJP did not name the JD(U) as its partner for the UP polls. Tyagi, however, said the decision to go alone in UP would not affect the alliance between the two parties in Bihar. “It should not happen as we had contested alone in Jharkhand (too). We are an independent party and would try to work towards our growth and expansion,” Tyagi said.
But the Bihar BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal attacked the JD (U) for poor implementation of the liquor law in Bihar, where 11 people have died in the last two days after allegedly consuming hooch. “The intention behind the liquor law may well be good but there are surely problems with its implementation,” said Jaiswal, also referring to the two hooch tragedies in Gopalganj and West Champaran last November in which 30 people had died.
