Leaders switch sides as poll fever catches on

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 10

With the election campaigning gaining momentum in the Bathinda (Urban) Constituency, several local leaders are changing loyalties.

Former councillor Vijay Kumar, whose claim to fame is taking up important issues through interesting and unique ways, joined the Shiromani Akali Dal today.

Through his protest, Vijay had attacked the SDA-BJP alliance in the recent past.

In the Municipal Corporation elections held in 2015, Vijay, his wife and two sons had contested as independent candidates and lost from all four seats.

Party insiders say that following Vijay’s alignment with SAD, several SAD councillors have gone into a huddle since Vijay had protested against the slow pace of work in several wards of the city, especially those located across the railway lines.

In another interesting switch of parties, former councilor Rachna Oberoi, who had fought and won the MC elections as an independent candidate in 2008, joined the Congress today.

After getting elected as councillor in 2008, she had joined SAD. In 2015, she had switched over to the BJP as Ward No 23 seat landed in BJP’s kitty. She fought the 2015 MC elections on a BJP ticket from the ward but lost to an independent candidate.

At a function organised on Sunday, Beopar Mandal president Rajinder Raju joined the Congress.

Congress leader KK Aggwaral said Raju was known to be an old SAD supporter as he was associated with the party for close to 38 years and was also known for his proximity to SAD MLA Sarup Chand Singla.

All-India SAD delegate Surinder Gupta also switched over to the Congress.

Som Bansal, general secretary of the Beopar Mandal, who was earlier associated with the BJP, also crossed over to the Congress.

A few days ago, Congress candidate from Bathinda (Urban) Manpreet Singh Badal had held a closed door meeting with several BJP councillors to listen to their problems.

In a similar development in the Maur constituency, former SAD panchayat members crossed over to the Aam Aadmi Party.