AAP members’ relatives go the independent way

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 8

With a number of AAP candidates contesting the MC elections independently, the party has said it has been done as per a planned policy to avoid rejection of nominations.

While the AAP has only fielded 47 candidates from 80 wards in the district, a number of AAP candidates and the kin of party’s office-bearers have filed nominations as independents, despite some of them earlier having been given tickets from the party. As many as five AAP members fielded from the Bilga Nagar Council alone, are contesting as independents.

AAP Sunam MLA Aman Arora said, “Candidates have been approaching us with the request and it is a conscious decision taken in the interests of the party. While a number of nominations are rejected just because a candidate is from the AAP – as was done with three winning candidates in Amloh and two in Patiala yesterday – the party had decided to back independents wherever possible. Secondly, the MC elections are all about personalised goodwill. The screening committees had already been directed to take the call regarding backing independent candidates.”

Tejinder Harry, AAP district vice-president and in charge of the north constituency, whose wife is contesting from ward number 1 as an independent candidate, said, “The decision has been taken in the best interests of my family. I have full faith in my party, but I had a word with my wife and her friends and fielding her as an independent seemed like the most suitable option.”

AAP Doaba vice-president and former councillor Bal Krishna Bali, whose daughter-in-law Ramandeep Kaur’s name featured in the AAP’s first list, later decided to contest in the same ward as an independent. Bali is also backing Neerja, who is contesting as an independent from ward number 57.

“My loyalties are with the party. The decision had been taken with the support of the AAP. We are backing both my daughter-in-law and Neerja from ward number 57,” Bali said.

Interestingly, AAP district president Babbu Neelkanth’s brother Bittu Neelkanth is contesting on the Congress ticket. Since Bittu is contesting from ward number 68, AAP has not fielded any of its candidates from that ward. Babbu said, “We have fielded 47 of our own candidates and are extending outside support to many independents.”