Devinder Singh Babla, wife join BJP ahead of Chandigarh mayoral poll

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 2

In a major political development and boost to the local BJP, senior Congress leader Devinder Singh Babla, along with his councillor wife Harpreet Kaur, today joined the saffron party ahead of the mayoral poll.

Now, the BJP has 14 votes, including that of ex officio member of the House and local MP Kirron Kher, equal to those of AAP, ahead of the secret ballot for electing the Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and the Deputy Mayor. The polling date is yet to be announced. The Congress tally has got reduced to seven. There are indications that more Congress men may join the BJP in the coming days.

After joining the BJP at its Sector 33 office this afternoon, Babla alleged, “Parivarvaad has increased in the Congress. The city party president has made no contribution. During the poll campaign, his phones used to remain switched off. Giving the ticket is not enough. There was a vacuum in the party and everyone felt that someone should raise a voice. While Bansal ji remained involved as treasurer in Delhi, there was no one to take care of the party.”

“AAP had also approached me with the offer of mayorship and a post of a chairman of a board/committee if it came to power in Punjab. It is offering money to councillors. However, I cannot be with a party which makes false promises such as providing water free of cost. I have got so much love in the BJP from all,” said the former Leader of the Opposition in the MC House. His wife Harpreet Kaur had won from ward number 10, a seat reserved for women, by the highest margin of 3,103 votes. “The vote was not for the Congress, but for the work done by Babla ji. It was a vote for the Babla ‘brand’. In fact, many from the BJP supported us during the poll,” she said.

City Congress president Subhash Chawla said, “The party had expelled Babla after various complaints of indecent behaviour and anti-party activities yesterday evening. I opened that email today. It seems the scene created by him at the oath ceremony was part of his plan to please his new bosses.” “Everything was okay for him till now. Now that he is out of the party, he sees ‘parivarvaad’ here. His wife is a councillor. It that not ‘parivarvaad’. I was in touch with all candidates during the election campaign,” he said.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, MP Kirron Kher, city Bharatiya Janata Party president Arun Sood and former city unit president Sanjay Tandon were present when the Bablas joined the saffron party.