Congress leader quits party to support BJP candidate Naveen Jindal in Kurukshetra

Nitish Sharma

Kurukshetra, April 10

The BJP’s move to field Naveen Jindal has started showing its effect in Kurukshetra as former Congress district chief Pawan Garg has announced that he would quit the party to support the BJP candidate in the Lok Sabha elections.

The Aam Aadmi Party had been allocated the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat in the seat-sharing agreement with the Congress and fielded Sushil Gupta as the INDIA bloc candidate.

Speaking to The Tribune, Pawan Garg said, “I had been on various posts, including that of the district chief, general secretary of the HPCC and a member in the AICC in the Congress, but I have personal relations with the Jindal family and I have a long association with Naveen Jindal. The Congress has not fielded its candidate from Kurukshetra and left the seat for AAP, which is not the right thing to do. Moreover, after the BJP fielded Naveen Jindal from Kurukshetra, I decided to extend my support to him. I didn’t find it morally right to remain in the Congress while extending my support to the BJP candidate. So I have apprised the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee and senior leadership about my decision to quit the party.”

To a query regarding joining the BJP, Pawan Garg, who had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections thrice, said, “I am holding meetings with the like-minded people and my supporters. Soon we will meet him (Naveen Jindal) and decide the future course of action.”

BJP leader Dhuman Singh said, “Pawan Garg is a senior leader and we will welcome him if he joins the party. Some more people are expected to join the party in the coming days and it will help the party and our candidate in the Lok Sabha elections.”

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Ashok Arora said, “There were a few people who had personal relations with the Jindal family or had any vested interests, otherwise, all the leaders and workers have been standing tall with the Congress. There is no resentment among the workers and we have been campaigning for the INDIA bloc candidate, Sushil Gupta, unitedly in the field and we will make sure that he wins the election from the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha constituency.”

AAP allocated LS seat

The Aam Aadmi Party had bagged the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat in the seat-sharing agreement with the Congress and fielded Sushil Gupta as the INDIA bloc candidate.