Chabbewal file nomination

Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi

Hoshiarpur, April 23

Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal of the Congress today filed nomination papers from the Hoshiarpur (reserved) constituency. 

He was accompanied by former MP Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Punjab affairs incharge Asha Kumari, Cabinet minister Sunder Sham Arora, and other leaders. Party’s senior leader Santosh Chowdhary, who had opposed his nomination, did not turn up. Chabbewal arrived at the DAC campus in a big convoy and submitted his papers with Returning Officer Isha Kalia. His brother Dr Jatinder’s wife Sonia filed papers as his covering candidate.

Earlier, a religious ceremony was organised at his residence. After the bhog, party MLAs, councillors, zila parishad, block samiti and panchayat members, under the leadership of Asha Kumari moved in a procession towards the district administrative complex.

Prominent among others who were present on the occasion were Sangat Singh Gilzian, Pawan Adia, Arun Dogra, Rajneesh Babby, Balwinder Singh Laddi, Joginder Singh Mann, Rana Ranjeet Singh, district Congress president Dr Kuldeep Nanda, Rani Sodhi and Harjeet Singh Parmar and Daljit Singh Sahota.

Asha Kumari expressed confidence that Dr Raj Kumar would win with big margin. She said Dr Raj Kumar was an intelligent, hardworking, honest and leader of the masses. 

The dissent

Even as Punjab affairs incharge Asha Kumari claimed that there was no dissent within the party, senior leader Santosh Chowdhary refused to budge from her stance against ticket to Chabbewal. Asha Kumari visited her house on Tuesday. She said, “Santosh Chowdhary is like my elder sister and I am sure she will be with us.” On the other hand Chowdhary said, “She (Asha) had come to my house, but when I asked her to listen to the party workers, she left saying that she was in a hurry.”