Akali tickets to sitting councillors irks BJP

NEW DELHI: The fact that BJP councillors have been given tickets under the BJP-Akali Dal alliance has caused further unrest in BJP.
In Shahdara, independent councillor Jitender Singh Shunty has been given a ticket over former BJP MLA Ram Niwas Goel while Avtar Singh Hit from BJP has bagged a ticket from Rajouri Garden over Ramesh Khanna. Both of them will contest elections under the Akali symbol.In Jangpura, BJP councillor Manjinder Singh Sirsa has got a ticket. There is also resistance against Ravinder Singh Khurana from Akali Dali, who will contest elections from Adarsh Nagar.
Said a party member: "Those party members, who were hoping to get tickets from Shahdara and Rajouri Garden, had been working in their areas for sometime now. Ramesh Khanna, for instance, is a trader and has the support of the trader association in the area. The decision to field other candidates, as per the alliance, is, therefore, being resisted by BJP members. Even if it was an effort to woo Sikh voters in these areas, Shahdara and Adarsh Nagar comprise a very small percentage of Sikh voters. It is unfair to BJP members as Akali candidates have never managed to win. They just block seats."
Meanwhile, accepting that some party members are not happy with the decision taken under the alliance, BJP chief Dr Harshvardhan also clarified that their decision not to field councillors from their party could not be imposed on Akali Dal as the decision was taken before the alliance was formed between the two parties.
Said Harshvardhan: "When you have an agreement with another party, seats have to be adjusted accordingly. It happens in every elections that party members are disillusioned with the decision taken under such alliances, but a large number of our members have accepted our decision and we are trying to persuade others. In case they continue to resist our decision, we will initiate disciplinary action against them." With Assembly elections just two weeks away, BJP is trying hard to resolve its internal issues so that it does not affect its campaigning in coming days.