Blame game begins after Selja’s defeat

Sanjay Bumbroo

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, May 23

The victory of BJP candidate Rattan Lal Kataria from the Ambala seat is a lesson for those Congress leaders who were thinking that their party would get a comfortable lead in colonies as well as villages.

Ignoring the workers at the ground level by local leaders in the two Assembly segments of Panchkula and Kalka cost dear to Congress candidate Kumari Selja.

Blame game has started in the party as the workers, without naming any politician, claimed that arrogance of senior leaders was the reason behind Selja’s defeat.

Top leadership of both constituencies, who had given responsibility to a few office-bearers of the party to ensure the win of Kumari Selja, were nowhere to be seen.

Today’s results proved that local politicians who campaigned with Selja in the Panchkula and Kalka Assembly segments to show that they are working hard to ensure her victory had failed to reach out to the voters. Congress leaders in both constituencies were expecting that they would be able to get a considerable lead from colonies, but it turned out to be the opposite of their expectations. Selja had to face defeat in both constituencies.

When the Congress had announced the name of Kumari Selja as the party candidate for the Ambala Lok Sabha constituency, local leaders were confident that she would be able to defeat Kataria as witnessed in the previous two elections of 2004 and 2009.

Congress leaders were happy whenever the videos opposing Kataria went viral in the district. The Congress continued to make claims about its position, while the BJP continued to strengthen its network at the ground level, and the result is before everyone.