Candidates allege ticket-for-cash scam in MC polls
After being denied election ticket by their party, several aspirants switch their loyalty towards other parties at the last minute. Many of them also decide to contest independently. Almost every party is being accused of distributing tickets by taking money. BJP district president Harinder Singh Sandhu has been accused of demanding money for giving the party ticket. OBC Morcha Lok Sabha constituency in-charge of BJP Harjinder Singh Raja and candidate from ward number 33 Jaswinder Kaur and some other supporters joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today. Harjinder Singh Raja alleged that that BJP’s district head Harvinder Singh Sandhu was demanding Rs 10 lakh from him, after which he returned the ticket. Jeevan Jyot Kaur, MLA (East), welcomed them in the party. Jagmohan Singh Raju, BJP in-charge in East constituency said, “The state election committee of BJP gave approval to the names of candidates. Some of the candidates were changed at the level of the party’s district president at the last minute and there is resentment among the party activists”. Raju claimed that Raja demanded party symbol from the district party president but was refused after which he joined the AAP.
Another BJP activist Vijay Singh Heera from ward number 34 went live and alleged that the party gave ticket to another person while he has been serving the party for the last many years. He also claimed that the party sold ticket for Rs 2 lakh.
After the announcement of names of candidates by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), some volunteers from South constituency demonstrated against the party leadership alleging that they took money to give party tickets.
Rohit Kumar, state secretary of SC wing of the Aam Aadmi Party, said that he has been associated with the party since 2019. He spent a huge sum and worked for the party in many states. The party used to claim that they are against drugs but party tickets have been given to those who sell alcohol and heroin. He said that he has been working in ward number 85 for many years but the party awarded ticket to a former Congress activist, ignoring his claims. Rohit Kumar alleged that the AAP sold party tickets for Rs 25 lakh.
Dimple Arora, another AAP volunteer from ward number 65, left the party when it gave ticket to some other person. He decided to contest the elections independently. As ward number 65 is reserved for women, Arora’s wife Veena will contest the elections.
The Congress party also faced opposition in several wards by its own workers after denial of ticket. After denial of party ticket, Congress worker Mehak Rajput decided to field her pet dog in the elections. Today, she reached the SDM-1 office in Amritsar to file her nomination with her pet dog ‘Jimmy’. Mehak Rajput said that she has been associated with the Congress party for the last 20 years. She was seeking party ticket from Ward-38, but the Congress refused and she decided to field her dog in elections.
Mehak said that she knows that animals are not allowed to file nominations in the election process, but she wants the administration to accept her dog’s nomination. If this does not happen, she herself will contest the elections as an independent candidate.
