Ignored by their parties, former BJP, Cong leaders find space in AAP & JJP

After being ignored in their own parties, BJP and Congress leaders have started joining AAP and the JJP in Kurukshetra in search of platforms to contest the Assembly election.

Senior BJP leader Krishan Bajaj, who was seeking a party ticket, has joined AAP and he has been fielded from the Thanesar Assembly segment, while Congress youth leader Surya Pratap Singh Rathore, who was also seeking a ticket from Thanesar, joined the JJP last evening.

Bajaj had been seeking the BJP ticket from Thanesar and was unhappy with the candidature of sitting MLA Subhash Sudha.

Bajaj met AAP state chief Sushil Gupta and joined the party last evening. Bajaj, who had contested the Assembly elections unsuccessfully on the BJP ticket in 2009, said, “I had been a dedicated BJPworker for over 40 years and I wanted to contest on the party ticket. My supporters were disappointed with the party’s decision. The BJP has been commercialised by these new people, and this is not the party that I joined under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. There was a lot of pressure from my supporters hence I joined AAP. I will contest the election from Thanesar and file my nomination on Wednesday.” However, AAP aspirants are not happy with the party’s decision. An AAP leader said, “The party has been making wrong decisions. It should have shown faith in its own workers who had been struggling in the party for several years instead of going for those who have come from other parties just because they had not been given the ticket there. I wanted to contest on the party ticket but I have been ignored.”

Meanwhile, Congress party’s youth state secretary Surya Pratap Singh Rathore has quit the party and joined the Jannayak Janta Party. Rathore was seeking a Congress ticket from the Thanesar Assembly segment, but the party fielded senior leader Ashok Arora from the segment.

Surya Pratap Rathore, who met JJP leader Dushyant Chautala and joined the party last evening, said, “I have been working for the party with dedication and I was trying for the ticket but my candidature was ignored. The party has fielded a candidate who has lost his last two elections while the party had said that it would give opportunity to youth leaders. I have joined the JJP and want to contest from the Thanesar seat.

Meanwhile, JJP district chief Kuldeep Jakhwala, said, “Surya Pratap is a good leader, he has joined us,and it will definitely help the party in the Assembly election. He will get the due respect in the party and the JJP will win the Thanesar Assembly seat.”