BJP rebel Kainth joins Congress

Ramkrishan Upadhyay 

Tribune News Service 

Chandigarh, April 19 

While the BJP is yet to decide on its candidate, the Congress has continued its drive to catch big fish from other parties. 

After former Mayor Gurcharan Kala and former councillor Jannat Janhan, former BJP Senior Deputy Mayor and rebel Satish Kainth today made his return to the Congress fold, along with his supporters, in the presence of Lok Sabha candidate from Chandigarh Pawan Kumar Bansal and city party president Pradeep Chhabra. 

Sources said two more former councillors, one from the BJP, while another from the SAD, will join the Congress in the next two days. 

Kainth, who left the Congress in 2015, said it was his mistake to join the BJP. He described the Congress as the only party, which considered the interests of the nation foremost. The BJP had not measured up to the expectations of the residents of Chandigarh and had mismanaged the affairs of the Municipal Corporation. 

Bansal said BJP activists were making a beeline for joining the Congress as they were impressed with its policies.

Padyatra in Mani Majra 

Pawan Kumar Bansal, Congress leaders, activists, workers and supporters took out a padyatra in Mani Majra late on Friday evening. The padyatra, which started from Shitla Mata Mandir passed through Mori Gate, old Ropar road and Mani Majra market before culminating at the temple again. 

AAP volunteers canvass at Sarangpur village

Chandigarh: Former sarpanches and members of the Zila Parishad on Friday campaigned for AAP candidate Harmohan Dhawan in Sanrangpur village. The team was led by Mohinder Singh, ex-sarpanch of Behlana village. The villagers maintained that all political parties had just given them false promises to develop the villages. However, nothing was done. Harmohan’s son Bikram Dhawan and Mohinder assured the villagers that if the AAP candidate wins, he would restore the panchayats and also regularise houses outside Lal Dora. Meanwhile, campaigning at the Motor Market in Sector 38 and residential area of Sector 9 was also conducted. TNS