Senior leaders in all parties are working overtime to quell rebels who are threatening to jeopardise electoral prospects of being official candidates.
CHANDIGARH: With the Election Commission issuing notice for the Assembly elections in Punjab, the main political parties in the state are seized with rebellion in the ranks.
With less than a month left for the polls, senior leaders in all parties are working overtime to quell rebels who are threatening to jeopardise electoral prospects of being official candidates.
Akali Dal president Parkash Singh Badal, who announced the party candidates last week, has been virtually hopping around from one seat to the other to tide over possible dissidence within the party.
In Kharar constituency, while the party announced Ramanjit Singh, son of former finance minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh, as the party nominee, a group of party workers led by RS Padiala has revolted. Badal held frenetic parleys with the rebels and promised Padiala an office of chairman of the state pollution board, if the party was voted to power.
Badal has been promising rebels with lucrative offices after the Akali-led government is formed. He made a promise to AS Pakhoke in Tarn Taran district after he announced to revolt for being denied the party ticket.
In Sangrur, RS Ballian is leading a dissident group and has announced to contest the election as an independent candidate. Badal faces a similar situation in about a dozen places, but was confident to tide over the crisis due to his influence on his colleagues.
The BJP, an alliance of the Akali Dal, is also apprehending serious revolt from the ranks in some of the key constituencies. Hence, the fate of some senior leaders like Balramji Dass Tondon, Madan Mohan Mittal, Tikshan Sood, and Laxmi Kanta Chawla still hung in uncertainty. Of the 23 seats, the party has so far announced candidature for 16, after which it faces rebellion in at least four places. In Sujanpur, former minister SP Saini, who has been denied the party ticket, is up in arms against the party. Similarly in Ludhiana, former general secretary Balraj Bhandari, has raised banner of revolt. Indications are that after the party announces all candidates, the revolt would spread further.
The Congress is in a more difficult situation and is yet to declare its candidates for all the seats. On Wednesday, while a list of 98 candidates was announced, four sitting MLAs were denied tickets. The resentment will intensify in the coming days.
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