Cong poll committee backs Bansal’s name

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 17

The Pradesh Election Committee of the city Congress has unanimously recommended former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal’s name for the party ticket for the city Lok Sabha seat.

Sources said all 10 members of the committee, including seven senior leaders, were asked by party in-charge Asha Kumari today to give their recommendations for the ticket. Sources said almost all members gave their nod in Bansal’s favour.

Party leaders Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, Manish Tewari and Pawan Kumar Bansal had applied for the party ticket for the city Lok Sabha seat.

The sources said the committee members favoured Bansal’s name without discussing the names of the other contenders, making it clear that they won’t accept any candidate from outside Chandigarh.

This time, the contest in the Congress for the ticket has become fierce after Manish Tewari and Navjot Kaur Sidhu expressed their desire to contest from Chandigarh.

Bansal has won the election from the city four times and has served as Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Minister for Water Resources, Minister of State for Finance and Parliamentary Affairs and Railway Minister.

While the panel has recommended Bansal’s name, aides of Tewari and Navjot Kaur have raised questions over the way the recommendations have been made.

Poonam Sharma, a former Mayor and Sidhu’s supporter, said the recommendations had no value as no one-on-one meeting was held with members of the election committee.

Chandra Mukhi Sharma, a close aide of Manish Tewari, said as per the directions of the party high command, the local unit and in-charge would have to send all applications to the party high command, which would take the final call.