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After Bani, Basohli, cracks in BJP appear in Kathua constituency | | | Kunal Shrivatsa/ Sanjay Pathak Early Times Report JAMMU, Nov 20: Grappling with the growing dissension, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) after witnessing revolt in Basohli and Bani Assembly segments in Kathua district and various other constituencies in Jammu region, may now have to counter another rebel candidate from Kathua constituency where a dissident group is all set to challenge the official party nominee. According to BJP insiders, the dissident group, who is miffed over the selection of Rajiv Jasrotia as BJP candidate from Kathua, held a closed door meeting here today at the residence of senior party leader Gopal Mahajan to decide future course of action. The prominent BJP leaders from Kathua Assembly segment who attended the meeting include Prem Nath, Gopal Mahajan son of Sain Dass who contested as BJP candidate in 2008-Assembly polls, the fire brand leader Janak Bharti, Raghunandan Singh Babloo besides several others. "In the meeting, which lasted for about five hours, threadbare discussions were held on whether to contest the elections or not…The participants were almost unanimous that someone from the group should be fielded against what they call BJP high command's oneupman ship in deciding the mandate in favour of an outsider who doesn't belong to Kathua," said sources. "Though nothing was finalized on the preference of prospective candidate but two names have so far emerged in the meeting…One is Gopal Mahajan and another is Janak Bharti but in all likelihood Mahajan will be the final choice and his candidature may likely to be announced tomorrow," said sources. The sources further told Early Times that in a bid to pacify the displeased Kathua BJP leaders, the party high command had sent its two emissaries including Seema Kumari, BJP MLA from Narote Jaimal Singh in Punjab and Satish Gupta, party incharge for Kathua constituency. However, both the BJP leaders despite their best efforts failed to persuade the warring group and had to leave the meeting venue empty handed. "The party leadership's representative MLA from Punjab Seema Kumari and Satish Gupta tried their level best to placate the dissident group but the rebels didn't relent and kept on saying that the party's decision to field Rajiv Jasrotia is gross injustice with the local BJP workers as well as leaders from Kathua…They alleged that BJP in charge J&K, Avinash Rai Khanna sold the ticket for Kathua segment," said sources. The sources informed that before the commencement of the meeting resignation letters from all the prominent leaders of the rebel group had been taken; however, the same were not forwarded to the party leadership and put on hold for the time being. "Though the local BJP rebels were asked to put in their papers from the primary membership of the party and all of them followed the suit but the resignations were not forwarded to state party leadership… The resignations were likely to be submitted in a day or two," sources maintained. It is pertinent to mention here that it is not only Kathua Assembly segment where BJP is up against the uprising in rank and file of the party, it is also facing resentment and rebellion in Bani, Basohli, Reasi, Udhampur and Chhamb (Khour) where official party candidates are being countered openly by BJP rebels whereas a voice of dissent in many other constituencies is also growing in a hush-hush manner. While sitting MLA from Bani Master Lal Chand has announced to contest the forthcoming Assembly polls as an independent, the sitting BJP MLA from Basohli Jagdish Sapolia switched sides to join Congress and contesting polls as its candidate against BJP's Lal Singh. In Reasi too, the sitting BJP MLA Baldev Raj Sharma is contesting as an independent while two of the rebels from Udhampur and Chhamb viz Pawan Gupta and Chaman Lal Kanathia respectively, who contested as BJP candidates in 2002 and 2008 are also in the poll fray as independents. |
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