Tandon's decision kicks up a storm within BJP

CHANDIGARH: The decision by Chandigarh BJP president Sanjay Tandon and party’s office-bearers forming a four-member committee to identify probable candidates for the forthcoming Municipal Corporation elections scheduled to be held in December this year, has kicked up another storm in the Chandigarh BJP.

BJP president Sanjay Tandon

Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 25

The decision by Chandigarh BJP president Sanjay Tandon and party’s office-bearers forming a four-member committee to identify probable candidates for the forthcoming Municipal Corporation elections scheduled to be held in December this year, has kicked up another storm in the Chandigarh BJP.

Before forming the four-member panel, no discussion was held with MP Kirron Kher, former MP Satya Pal Jain and former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Harmohan Dhawan. Kher, Jain and Dhawan are also part of the BJP core committee.

The committee consists of state vice-president Raghuvir Lal Arora, general secretary Prem Kaushik and Chander Shekhar and party’s national mahila morcha vice-president Asha Jaswal, who is also a councillor from Ward No. 4. All the four leaders are from Tandon camp.

When contacted, MP Kirron Kher said that she was busy with the Parliament Session in Delhi and she was not aware of the formation of any committee.

Echoing similar view, former MP Satya Pal Jain said he was not consulted before any committee was formed. He came to know about the committee only through the media, he said.

Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Harmohan Dhawan was also unaware of the formation of any committee by the Chandigarh BJP.

When contacted, Tandon said core committee was for suggestions only whereas, the party office-bearers were there to take decisions. The committee was formed in the meeting where the party office-bearers were present and there was no need to take suggestions, he said.

Tandon said the party had taken this step to prepare for the forthcoming Municipal Corporation elections and the committee had been asked to visit various wards personally and submit a detailed report about the probable candidates.

Prem Kaushik will prepare the report about district 1, Chander Shekhar district 2, Raghuvir Lal Arora district 3 and Asha Jaswal will prepare a report on district 4.

Party divided in four camps

At present, the Chandigarh unit of the BJP is divided into four camps; those of party president Sanjay Tandon, MP Kirron Kher, former MP Satya Pal Jain and former Union Minister Harmohan Dhawan. All groups want to field their candidates for the upcoming MC polls.