12 sitting councillors lose BJP Sirsa ticket, may contest as Independents

Cong's Gokul Setia gets chairperson’s ticket for ally Jaswinder Kaur

As the final day of nomination approaches for the Sirsa Municipal Corporation polls, political movements are heating up.

The BJP, which is leading the charge, announced the names of candidates for all 32 wards on Saturday.

Interestingly, 12 sitting ward councillors had their tickets revoked by the party, sparking speculation that these councillors may now contest as Independent candidates. Meanwhile, Sirsa’s BJP leadership is also facing some internal discontent.

Some BJP leaders are unhappy with the closeness between the party and the Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP). All BJP candidates will contest the elections using the party’s symbol, the lotus, and not the HLP symbol.

Gobind Kanda, a BJP leader and HLP supremo Gopal Kanda’s younger brother, has made it clear that he is ready to do anything for the development of Sirsa.

So far, there has been no nomination for the chairperson’s position. Though some ward councillors have submitted their nominations, the chairperson race remains unclear.

The BJP, in alliance with the HLP, has announced Shanti Swarup Valmiki as their candidate for the top post, while the Congress is fielding Jaswinder Kaur, the daughter of former Sirsa MC chairperson Sukhwinder Kaur Gill.

The JJP has nominated Parveen Turkia (aka Lucky Chaudhary), and the AAP has fielded Kavita Nagar.

In a surprising twist, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has not yet declared its candidate for the chairperson’s post. However, it is expected that the announcement will be made soon.

The atmosphere is further charged by the speculation that Chief Minister Nayab Saini may personally come to Sirsa to submit the nomination papers of the BJP’s candidates.

He may also attend a religious gathering at Tara Baba Kutia, managed by the Kanda brothers, where preacher Pradeep Mishra will address the gathering.

Gokul Setia, the local Congress MLA, has successfully secured a ticket for his supporter, Jaswinder Kaur, for the chairperson’s post.

Her candidacy is seen as a major move in the political battle, and it’s expected that the Congress will work hard to win the election.

Although he has distanced himself from some Congress leaders, his influence within the party remains strong.

The Congress is aiming to capture the MC following their success in both the parliamentary and the Assembly elections in Sirsa.

The next few days will reveal whether Setia’s strategies will lead his party to victory in this crucial election.