In U-turn, BJP to give tickets to three councillors

New Delhi: Softening its stand against giving tickets to sitting councillors for the upcoming municipal elections, the Delhi BJP on Wednesday picked three incumbents who had won the bypolls held in May last year. Despite the change in stance, a group of disgruntled councillors has begun considering floating a new outfit.

The selection of three comes after about 118 councillors met several Union ministers and senior BJP leaders on Tuesday to request the party to reconsider its stance against the 153 incumbents. Elections to the three municipal corporations in the national capital will be held on April 23.

The three picked include Bhupinder Mohan Bhandari, councillor from Shalimar Bagh (North); Krishan Gehlot from Nawada; and Mahendra Nagpal from Wazirpur.

“After much deliberation and discussion it was felt that the party should stand firmly on the decision not to give tickets to the sitting councillors. But another general feeling was that it would be an injustice if these three councillors were denied ticket,” a party source said.

This still left many BJP councillors disgruntled and they made another attempt on Wednesday to convince the Central leadership to reconsider the decision of denying tickets to them. The councillors met Union transport minister and former BJP president Nitin Gadkari, Union home minister Rajnath Singh, Lok Sabha member Ramesh Bidhuri and Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari to convey their sentiments. Leaders assured councillors that their message would be conveyed to the top leadership.

Meanwhile, a section of dissatisfied councillors is contemplating forming a new outfit. “One of the councillors suggested we register the party as ‘Delhi Janta Party’. Suggestion for more names have been invited and any decision will be taken after seeing the Central leadership’s response,” a councillor said.