INDIA VOTES 2024: SAD to go solo in Chandigarh, panel to pick nominee

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Rana

Chandigarh, March 26

Having voted for the BJP candidates in the recent mayoral elections, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today announced to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election on the Chandigarh seat for the first time.

The SAD today formed an 11-member election committee to decide its candidate, besides appointing Ajit Singh as the committee chairman and chief spokesperson of its Chandigarh unit. Party president Sukhbir Singh Badal made this appointment at the party office in Sector 28 here today.

Ajit, who has worked as All India (Local Bodies) Union secretary and state president of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, had retired as superintendent from the city MC.

With this announcement, the city is set to witness triangular contest of major political parties —BJP, INDIA bloc (Congress-AAP) and SAD. The SAD has always been in alliance with the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls here and supporting the saffron party candidates all these years.

It was for the first time that the two parties had separately contested the December 2021 MC elections after having parted ways in view of farmers’ protests.

Since the talks were earlier said to have resumed between the two parties for an alliance, the lone SAD councillor and local party president, Hardeep Singh, had voted for the old ally in the recent mayoral elections.

He said, “The way the BJP suffered in a big way in councillors’ elections, it will meet the same fate again in the parliamentary election here. We contested in 15 wards and got 10,744 votes, with voting percentage of 7.8%. The BJP lost in five of these wards by thin margin.”

“Had we supported them, the loss would have been averted. Even in BJP’s senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor polls win, our vote was crucial. Since we are now contesting the Lok Sabha elections, it will adversely affect the BJP.”

However, dissagreeing with Hardeep's view, city BJP president Jitender Pal Malhotra said, "The issues of MC and Lok Sabha elections are different. In the General Election last time, out poll percentage was 51 and the aim is to take it to 60% this time."

Triangular contest

• The city is set to witness triangular contest of major political parties — BJP, INDIA bloc (Congress-AAP) and SAD.
• The SAD has always been in alliance with the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls from Chandigarh and supported the saffron party candidates all these years.
• It was for the first time that the two parties had separately contested the December 2021 MC elections after having parted ways in view of farmers’ protests.

Sukhbir constitutes 11-member panel

The SAD formed an 11-member election committee to decide its candidate, besides appointing Ajit Singh as the committee chairman and chief spokesperson of its Chandigarh unit. Party president Sukhbir Singh Badal made this appointment at the party office in Sector 28.

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#BJP #Lok Sabha #Shiromani Akali Dal