Congress meeting on Lok Sabha polls: Solan councillors facing disqualification urged to join meet

Tribune News Service

Ambika Sharma

Solan, April 21

Even as four councillors, including the Mayor of the Solan Municipal Corporation (MC), are facing disqualification for voting against the party’s official candidates in the mayoral poll held in December 2023, the party is keen to seek their support for the Lok Sabha poll.

‘We will present our case’

The party should clarify its stand on our position in the Congress as the DCC president has sought our disqualification in a complaint filed before the Solan DC. We will meet the poll in-charge and present our case. We have already presented our stand before senior ministers and the Chief Minister. — Rajeev Kaura, Councillor & Ex-dy mayor

The Congress poll in-charge for the Shimla Lok Sabha seat and Education Minister Rohit Thakur, who is convening a meeting of the party leaders in Solan tomorrow, sent an official message to Mayor Usha Sharma to attend the meeting.

Usha Sharma, while confirming the news, said, “I received a call from the office of Rohit Thakur asking me to attend the meeting party’s tomorrow. Since I, along with three councillors, are facing disqualification on a complaint sent by the District Congress Committee (DCC) president, we have sought time from the Education Minister to present our stand. We will not attend the meeting tomorrow till there is clarity on our position in the party.”

Four councillors, including Mayor Usha Sharma, ex-Mayor Punam Grover, former Deputy Mayor Rajeev Kaura and councillor Abhay Sharma have a sizeable hold in their wards.

Usha Sharma, who represents Ward 12, had won this seat for the first time for the Congress, breaking the BJP’s dominance which it held for decades. Punam Grover, who represents Ward 8 and Abhay Sharma from Ward 11, had defeated BJP heavyweights comprising a former civic body chairman and a chairman’s son respectively. The BJP had got the lowest number of 76 votes from the Housing Board ward, represented by former Deputy Mayor Rajeev Kaura who represents Ward 14. The Congress had registered a good lead in his ward contrary to a majority of other wards in the 2022 Assembly elections.

Political observers opine that the absence of the four councillors from the election campaign would not augur well for the Congress party which is aiming to win the Shimla Lok Sabha seat from the BJP after facing three consecutive defeats in 2009, 2014 and 2019.

Solan DC had conducted a fact-finding inquiry into their disqualification after the DCC president had lodged a complaint seeking their disqualification. The final verdict of the Director, Urban Development Department, was awaited after the DC had submitted his enquiry report in March.

With the sword of disqualification hanging on their head, the four councillors are not keen on participating in the meeting.

“The party should clarify its stand on our position in the Congress as the DCC president has sought our disqualification in a complaint filed before the Solan DC . We will meet the poll in-charge and present our case,” remarked Rajeev Kaura. It remains to be seen what stand the party adopts as those who fought the 2022 Assembly poll against the party’s candidates were being brought back into the party.

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