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MC polls: Congress likely to face litmus test in Jalandhar West wards

Jalandhar, December 8 Even as all political parties are internally gearing up for the Municipal Corporation elections in Jalandhar, which are due for the past nearly 10 months now, the Congress is likely to face the biggest challenge and...
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Jalandhar, December 8

Even as all political parties are internally gearing up for the Municipal Corporation elections in Jalandhar, which are due for the past nearly 10 months now, the Congress is likely to face the biggest challenge and that too in the Jalandhar West constituency.

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8 councillors joined AAP in past

Out of total 85 wards in Jalandhar, there are 23 in the constituency. The Congress won in 18 wards in the area. At least eight of the councillors have left the party and joined the AAP in the past more than a year. The party is currently tasked with roping in 13 more candidates in the area.

Ever since former Congress Jalandhar West MLA Sushil Rinku left the party and joined AAP and got elected as its Lok Sabha MP in the byelection held earlier this year, the Congress is headless in the area. The party is yet to appoint a new halqa in charge here.

Out of total 85 wards in Jalandhar, there are 23 in the constituency. The Congress won in 18 wards in the area. At least eight of the councillors have left the party and joined the AAP in the past more than a year. The party is currently tasked with roping in 13 more candidates in the area which has become a Herculean task for it.

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The constituency has AAP MLA Sheetal Angural, who does not go along with Rinku. Both of them are aggressive leaders and have a strong ground in the area. They are not letting Congress workers settle in the area. Reports are that both of them are using their might to not let any Congress leader stand out as the councillor candidate in the area.

Jagdish Samrai, who has been Congress councillor for three terms from the West area, countered the reports saying: “The situation in Jalandhar West is fairly okay. We have good faces to contest from each of the 23 wards. They will give a tough fight to AAP and the BJP,” said Jagdish.

The situation is no better in other areas too. In Jalandhar North too, the Congress is facing a tough time after the demise of two former councillors and at least eight of them switching to AAP. In Jalandhar Cantt too, prominent and active councillors, including Harshinder Kaur Happy and Rohan Sehgal, moved to AAP.

Candidates of various parties, who are confident of getting tickets, have already set up offices in their areas and actively meeting people and holding small gatherings on a daily basis. It will, however, be a triangular contest between AAP, the Congress and the BJP. AAP so far has an edge being the ruling party in the state.

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