INDIA VOTES 2024: Disgruntled leaders of Chandigarh Congress to meet today
Sandeep Rana
Chandigarh, April 29
With four-time Congress MP Pawan Kumar Bansal and several leaders, including three councillors, owing allegiance to him not joining in the ongoing campaigning of party candidate Manish Tewari, these disgruntled party men are going to hold a meeting tomorrow to decide the future course of action.
Sources said they might demand the appointment of a working president. Bansal’s supporters had earlier sought the removal of city party president HS Lucky. “Since the candidate has been announced and the election to the city LS seat is drawing near, it will not be possible to remove the president. But, a working president can be appointed,” said a leader close to Bansal.
These leaders may take a call on whether to resign from the party posts or not.
Councillor Gurpreet Singh Gabi, who is leading the group, said, “A unanimous decision will be taken by the leaders tomorrow. Later, the outcome of the decision will be conveyed to national party president Mallikarjun Kharge. Other than me, councillors Sachin Galav and Nirmala Devi, along with several office-bearers, will attend the meeting regarding the current election situation in Chandigarh.”
All these leaders are close to the former Union minister.
According to Gabi, other than four councillors, Congress vice-president, general secretary, secretary, Youth Congress vice-president, general secretary, secretary, district head, ward head and the NSUI president will attend the meeting.
Tewari was named the Congress candidate for Chandigarh about two weeks and Bansal and his aides have been keeping a distance from the campaigning since then. Some of the office-bearers even resigned from their posts.
Taking a tough stance, the party even relieved Congress Mahila president Deepa Dubey. In some relief to the city Congress, Jasbir Singh Bunty, who was earlier supposed to be part of the meeting scheduled for tomorrow, held a public event in support of Tewari today.