Former Chandigarh Congress president Subhash Chawla joins BJP

Chandigarh, May 15

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Former mayor and ex-president of Chandigarh Congress, Subhash Chawla, along with his son joined the BJP here on Wednesday.

Chawla said he was upset with the decision of the Congress to join hands with the Aam Aadmi Party. He said the AAP had caused most harm to the Congress.

Chawla served as the mayor of Chandigarh twice. In 2022, the Congress stalwart resigned as president of the Congress’s Chandigarh unit.

“Leaving the party, which I joined at the age of 21, was a harsh decision for me to take. However, I cannot ignore the damage AAP’s presence inflicted on Congress in the recent municipal corporation election,” said Chawla.

“AAP is a party which indulges in petty politics. And Congress’s decision to join hands with AAP for the Lok Sabha seat will destroy its presence in the union territory,” he added.

The former mayor was welcomed into the party fold by BJP national vice president Saroj Pandey, the party’s Chandigarh Lok sabha candidate Sanjay Tandon and Chandigarh BJP chief Jitender Pal Malhotra, according to a party statement.

BJP nominee Tandon said, “The Chandigarh BJP has been further strengthened with the joining of Subhash, who has been the strongest pillar of the Chandigarh Congress.”

“I have known him (Chawla) for 25 years and have interacted with him both at a political and personal levels,” Tandon said, assuring the new joinee that he would “find an important place in the heart of the world’s largest political party”.

Polling for the lone Chandigarh parliamentary constituency will take place on June 1 in the last phase of Lok Sabha elections. — with PTI