Suspense prevails as Congress yet to announce Panchkula candidate
While suspense prevailed regarding both Congress and Aam Aadmi Party’s candidates for the Panchkula Assembly segment till late Wednesday evening, Congress leader Chander Mohan announced he would file his nomination papers on Thursday morning. This even as the Congress party was yet to issue its final list of candidates, including its candidate for the Panchkula segment. Insiders claimed the party had internally released information to its candidates to complete their preparations to file the papers on September 12— the last day of filing nomination papers.
Residents and local political leaders remained in confusion over the candidatures in Panchkula till late Wednesday evening. They said the Congress party was delaying the release in order to reduce time for rebel leaders to join other parties.
In fact, the Congress and AAP were earlier holding talks to form an alliance. The talks witnessed an unsuccessful end. Soon after the announcement of candidates, disgruntled BJP and Congress ticket aspirants started joining Aam Aadmi Party and Jannayak Janta Party in search of platforms to contest. Leaders said the Congress party had delayed the announcement of its candidate from Panchkula to ensure that rebel ticket aspirants got the least possible time to go rogue and join rival parties. “The party wants to give the least possible time to its leaders who fail to get a ticket to contest from rival parties,” a local leader said, adding that it could have internally informed its final candidates.
Meanwhile, the BJP’s Gian Chand Gupta stood as the lone major candidate in the Assembly segment till late Wednesday evening. He along with Right to Recall Party candidate Kishan Singh Negi are the only two candidates in fray from the Assembly segment.
Congress leaders said Chander Mohan was in Delhi and would reach Panchkula on Thursday morning to file his nomination papers. Chander Mohan confirmed the decision and said his candidature would be announced within a few hours and he would file nomination papers on a Congress ticket to contest the Panchkula Assembly seat.
