Who will be BSP candidate from Nawanshahr?

Deepkamal Kaur

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Nawanshahr, February 2

Even as BSP supremo Mayawati is visiting Nawanshahr on February 8 for holding a rally, she still does not know who will be her official candidate from the seat. The process of scrutiny is still underway ever since the case of double nomination by the party got known from here.

The more Nawanshahr Returning Officer-cum-SDM Barjinder Singh Dhillon is investigating into the case, the more complex it is becoming. The matter pertains to the filing of papers by two candidates on the same party symbol — the officially declared candidate of the party Nachhatar Pal Singh and another claimant Barjinder Singh Hussainpuri, who too procured an authority letter from the party yesterday.

While everyone, including the state BSP president Jasvir S Garhi, state in-charge Randhir Benipal, and even party supremo Mayawati have stated that they did not issue the symbol to Hussainpuri, the latter’s lawyer Parminder S Vig has challenged all to prove if the documents issued to his client bears fake signatures. The biggest catch in the case is that Hussainpuri has ever since gone incommunicado and is yet to reply as to who provided him the ticket. His lawyer says that he would appear once the RO decides the case.

As the process of scrutiny started today, it has been a tough call for RO Dhillon to take as Hussainpuri, who is an NRI, has roped in a Jalandhar-based lawyer, who is a specialist in election-related cases. The lawyer, too, claims that this is one of those rare cases where two candidates have been provided ticket by the party and the party goes on to say that the first one is genuine.

“It is common for the parties to change their candidates even after the first one has filed papers. In all such cases, the parties stand for the second one saying that they want to change the first one. But here it is a different case as the party is going with the first one and alleging that the second one is fake. Above all, it is unable to prove the forgery that it claims as there is no mismatch in the signatures of the signing authority, who is Mayawati,” he said.

A bigger issue is that the new forms A and B, which have been issued in favour of Hussainpuri, mention that the previously issued forms be considered cancelled. While one of these forms is handed over to the candidate by the party, the second one comes from the party office directly to the RO for cross-checking.

The BSP leadership has since last evening, when they got to know about the filing of the papers of Baljinder Hussainpuri on party symbol in the last 30 minutes, has provided affidavits by the state president and Punjab in-charge. They have also got an email issued from the official account of Mayawati to the RO’s official email.

To further strengthen their claim, those siding Nachhatar Pal’s claim have even got video conferencing arranged between the RO and Mayawati this evening. He has even sought written statement from her on her claims in the video conference by tomorrow morning, after which he would pronounce his orders.

Notably, Nachhatar Pal Singh is one of the oldest leaders of the party. He is also the state general secretary. Hussainpuri’s father Mohinder Singh is an SGPC member and former district president of SAD in Nawanshahr. Hussainpuri in an NRI and has recently spent crores of rupees on social projects in the city.

Meanwhile, the BSP leadership has even taken up the matter with the police. SSP Kanwardeep said: “We have received a complaint from the BSP that a forgery has been committed by the second candidate, who is Barjinder S Hussainpuri, to present himself as the BSP nominee. In all forgery cases, we have to conduct a preliminary inquiry. Since the RO-cum-SDM is already conducting an inquiry and is likely to give his decision tomorrow, we will wait for it.”

While RO has not responded to calls, Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Sarangal said: “It is a quasi-judicial matter, which the RO only can take. He will issue the orders after following all procedures. He has time till February 4 morning as he has to decide it before the process of withdrawal starts.”