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Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which has been electorally going through a rough patch since 2017 in Punjab, faced a setback in Union Territory – Chandigarh on Monday after its candidate Hardeep Singh Saini quit the party and decided not to contest the Lok Sabha election.
Mr. Saini, a former deputy mayor of Chandigarh, said he was peeved over the lack of support from the party in the run-up to the upcoming Lok Sabha election for the lone seat of Chandigarh.
“The reason behind the returning the party ticket and to quit is the party’s indifference toward Chandigarh’s unit and us. The party leadership promised that they would take care of the campaign. It’s been over a fortnight but no senior party leader has come here, there’s no support. It’s not a municipal election that can be fought individually. The election of MP is fought at party level,” he told journalists here.
Hardeep Singh, currently a Chandigarh Municipal Corporation councillor, said he was not under any pressure and has taken the decision after consulting the State party unit members. He said the SAD was contesting from Chandigarh for the first time and the party leaders were well aware that the constituency needs utmost attention in the run-up to the election, yet their attitude has been indifferent.
Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana will vote on June 1. Bharatiya Janta Party’s (BJP) Sanjay Tandon and Congress’s Manish Tewari are key contenders in the electoral fray from the city.
