Chhattisgarh Congress mayor suspended over 'ticket' sale row

RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh Congress has suspended party leader and Bilaspur mayor Ramsharan Yadav on charges of anti-party activities.

This decision comes after a purported audio clip of him popped up on social media, alleging that Congress tickets for elections were "sold" for up to Rs 4 crore.

The Chhattisgarh PCC issued a statement, saying mayor Yadav was handed a showcause notice for his "inappropriate comments and engaging in anti-party activities," but the response was deemed unsatisfactory, leading to his suspension from primary membership.

Former Congress legislator Arun Tiwari, who revolted against the party for denying him a ticket and is now contesting the Bilaspur seat as an Independent, released the audio clip to the media, claiming that the "mayor's conversation indicated that Congress tickets were given after some senior leaders received Rs 4 crore".

Yadav alleged that Tiwari had released a "false and misleading" audio clip. He denied ever having a conversation with Tiwari on ticket distribution. "Arun Tiwari, a former MLA, is a Congress leader who lives in my municipal ward. We used to discuss many local and civic issues but never spoke about the distribution of tickets," he said.

Tiwari, however, stuck to his stand, and said that the mayor might be under pressure from the ruling party to deny the conversation.