Bhoa Congress MLA’s defiance gives BJP the advantage

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Sujanpur (Pathankot), May 2

Bhoa Congress MLA Joginder Pal’s open defiance has given the BJP a possibility to elect the president of the Sujanpur Municipal Committee (MC) where, incidentally, the Congress enjoys a majority.

The president’s election has been postponed twice, the latest being on April 29 when Pal sparked off rebellion by teaming up with a woman councillor, Babbli Mahajan, to thwart the PPCC’s plans of appointing its man. In the past too, the “non-conformist” legislator has had his run-ins with the civil and police administration making his political bosses uncomfortable at the turn of events.

On January 22, about 80 Pathankot cops seized two stone crushing units, one of which belonged to the MLA, in the mining rich hamlet of Kirri village on the Ravi.

This incident left many in the PPCC red-faced. Now, Congressmen are now mulling a revamp of the entire party machinery in the area. The consensus is that the prevailing state of affairs will not be politically beneficial to the Congress in the Assembly elections.

The MLA had indeed struck a blow in the April 29 meeting when he virtually torpedoed any chance the Congress had of electing its man as the Sujanpur MC chief. “By virtue of having nine councillors in the 15-member house, we have a majority. However, this advantage is fast slipping away as BJP MLA Dinesh Babbu is making frantic efforts to engineer defections. The BJP is sure to get its man elected as the MC chief if our party does not set its house in order,” said a Congress councillor.

Ever since the PPCC was forced to reschedule the election date, the BJP has gone on an overdrive to ensnare three opposition councillors which effectively means it will have the majority. The allurements being given to the fence-sitters include two of them being adjusted as president and vice-president.

Pal could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

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