MS Kaypee loses out to Sukhwinder Kotli in Adampur

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, February 1

The filing of nomination papers by Congress’ Adampur candidate Sukhwinder Kotli went right down to the wire today with the party keeping up the suspense over the nominee till the final 10 minutes on the last day of the process.

Former minister MS Kaypee and Kotli, whose candidature was put on hold, were made to wait till 2.50 pm, before Congress co-incharge Chetan Chauhan handed over the ticket to the latter. As the deadline of 3 pm approached, both leaders reached the Returning Officer’s office past 2.30 pm without the authority letter. They waited for a few minutes for the letter, but Kaypee chose to enter the office and got the process of filing of papers started.

He signed a few papers and got the signatures of the proposers when Kotli entered the office holding the authority letter from the party giving him the ticket. Kaypee then got a call and left in a huff, saying he had withdrawn his papers. Kaypee, a former PCC chief and Jalandhar MP, later said he had never felt so insulted before. “I don’t know why the party did this to me. I was in touch with the senior leadership over the phone since morning. If they were to deny me the ticket, they should have told me straightaway. There was no need for this drama.”

The confusion started last night when Kotli went to Chandigarh amid reports of the seat being under a review. He was told his ticket had been kept on hold. He returned to Jalandhar this morning without the ticket. Kaypee was approached by supporters after reports of the review, but he said he was yet to get the ticket. It is learnt that Kaypee, whose daughter is wedded to CM Channi’s brother, was trying for a review through him, while minister Pargat Singh, who had made Kotli join the party, had recommended latter’s candidature.

Deeply insulting

I have never felt so insulted before. If they were to deny me the ticket, they should have told me straightaway. MS Kaypee, former minister

The party co-incharge was reportedly in Jalandhar since noon but was directed to hand over the ticket at the last moment to Kotli so that Kaypee, who had been threatening to file papers as an Independent from Adampur or Jalandhar West (his traditional seat) or Jalandhar Cantonment (against Pargat), remained contained in the confusion. It is after 1967 that the Kaypee family has not got a ticket.