Support of MLAs, halqa in-charges to ex-CM Charanjit Channi annoys Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Chaudhary

Tribune News Service

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, April 9

A day after the resignation of Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Chaudhary as the Chief Whip of the Congress in the Vidhan Sabha over the “likely denial of ticket” to him or his family for the Jalandhar LS seat in the coming elections, there remained a complete lull in the party circles in Jalandhar.

Even as some team members of ex-Chief Minister Charanjit Channi, who is the front-runner for the Congress from this seat, have reportedly reached Jalandhar and started doing some ground work, he himself perhaps has chosen to slow down his activity in this reserved seat for a day or so. The fact that all party leaders, including MLAs Pargat Singh, Sukhwinder Kotli, Bawa Henry and Hardev S Laddi and halqa in charges Dr Navjot Dahiya, Rajinder Beri and Rajinder Singh, have been accompanying Channi to his tours in Jalandhar has led to even more annoyance for Vikramjit as he is now reportedly feeling completely sidelined in Jalandhar.

Since yesterday, all leaders and workers have become cautious of the next likely move of the MLA. However, most of them were of the opinion that he would not take any “rash” step of quitting the party or the MLAship at this stage.

Vikramjit has been reportedly camping in New Delhi and remained incommunicado on Tuesday. Even his family members did not respond to phone calls.

Those closely associated with him said Vikramjit had resorted to a similar tactic even when his mother Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary had been given the ticket to contest the Assembly elections in 2017 against his wishes. The party had to later change the ticket in his name then, but he had lost the elections. He, however, won for the first time in 2022. He is now demanding MP ticket.

The Congress too is expected to delay announcement of the first list of candidates by a few more days to buy time for the growing unrest on some seats, including Jalandhar.

CLP leader Partap Bajwa said: “Ticket announcement may take three-four more days.”

Asked about Vikramjit’s resignation and whether he was being placated, he said: “There has been no communication with him since yesterday”.

The party is learnt to have undertaken a survey of winnability of candidates, which went in clear favour of Channi after which the leaders are learnt to be in a mood to give ticket to him.

eanwhile, there are reports that AAP too was on a hunt to import a candidate from another party for Jalandhar and its leaders were getting in touch with Chaudhary family. Though initially the name of minister Balkar Singh was doing rounds, party MLAs have said he was no longer on the list of probables.

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