Senior SAD-BJP leaders opt out of MC polls in Patiala

PATIALA: Many senior leaders of the SAD-BJP combine have decided not to contest the MC elections in the hometown of Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh. Family members of Akali leaders, who were cabinet ministers or had held key posts, have refused to fight the civic body polls this time here.These include two former mayors of SAD, who had been calling the shots in the Patiala MC in the last 10 years. Party insiders said none from the family of the former mayor Ajitpal Singh Kohli was contesting the civic polls. Ajitpal’s father Surjit Singh Kohli and his grandfather had both served as ministers in the state during the SAD-BJP rule. They were also chiefs of SAD’s Patiala (urban) unit. Clarifying that there was no political compulsion for not contesting the Patiala MC elections, Ajitpal said that, “There is no fear at all. Our family had contested four elections each for the state assembly and Lok Sabha. My father is bedridden for the last one week and for that reason I am not contesting.”Other key members of the Patiala MC of the SAD-BJP combine are also not in the fray this time. Harpal Juneja, who was aspiring to get a party ticket to contest the assembly elections against Amarinder and had remained a member of Patiala MC, would also not be fighting the civic polls. Speaking to TOI, Juneja said that while his ward number 31 had been reserved for women, his cousin was contesting from the adjoining ward number 34. He, however, claimed that there was no running away from the elections and the party had received at least five applications from each ward from aspirants.He further said that, “My wife or other family members are not contesting but my cousin is contesting from ward number 34. The delimitation and reservation of wards for women had affected a lot but the result would be in our favour. There is no fear among us.”Outgoing Patiala mayor Amarinder Singh Bajaj’s wife Manpreet Kaur will be contesting from ward number 53, which is reserved for women. Bajaj, a senior SAD leader, said that, “We stand by the party that had given us everything and we have been serving it for a long time. We are not scared of anything and my wife is contesting the elections this time.”Party insiders said the BJP was finding it hard to persuade its old leaders as many of them had refused to participate in the electoral battle. Sources revealed that the BJP had fielded 14 new faces out of a total 18 wards. Party’s senior deputy mayor Jagdish Chaudhary is also not contesting. Anil Bajaj and other BJP leaders have also decided against taking the field this time.