Chandigarh MC polls: BJP, Congress rebels join hands, form 'Azad Front'

Sandeep Rana

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 10

In what may cause some trouble for the BJP and the Congress, their rebels, who filed nominations as Independent candidates for the Municipal Corporation elections scheduled for December 24, have now formed ‘Azad Front’.

It is spearheaded by former Congress general secretary Shashi Shankar Tiwari, who rebelled against the party after he was denied the ticket. Since then, Tiwari, president of the Purvanchal Vikas Mahasangh, has been trying to form a common forum of Independents to take on the BJP and the Congress.

We have managed to bring all these Independent candidates under one platform. We will hold meetings and jointly chalk out our campaign strategy. The Congress and the BJP have used us and gave the ticket to their near and dear ones. Both parties ruled the MC, but did not resolve the pending issues. —Shashi Shankar Tiwari, Former Congress general secretary

“We have managed to bring all these Independent candidates under one platform. We will hold meetings and jointly chalk out our campaign strategy. The Congress and the BJP have used us and gave the ticket to their near and dear ones. Both ruled the city MC, but did not resolve the pending issues,” he said.

Ambitious Tiwari is also eyeing the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “Under the Azad Front, we will contest the next Lok Sabha elections too. We will be the actual voice of Chandigarh residents. Mainstream parties have served no purpose,” he said.

“Our forum is getting stronger day by day. We already have 12 candidates joining hands and more are still coming,” he said.

The group primarily has representation from the colony areas of Chandigarh.

Tiwari said the 12 Independent candidates, who joined hands, are Krishan Lal (Ward No. 3), Manpreet Kaur (Ward No. 9), Veeru (Ward No. 35), Prempal Chahuan (Ward No. 15), Harvansh Singh (Ward No. 29), Sushila Pathak (Ward No. 10), Kripanand Thakur (Ward No. 20), Asha Rani (Ward No. 7), Mukesh Goyal (Ward No. 32), Sohan Singh Mauli (Ward No. 8), Narendra Chaudhary (Ward No. 26) and Parmajit Kaur (Ward No. 4).