As Chandigarh readies for an exciting electoral contest between actor and activist Gul Panag of the AAP, old warhorse former minister Pawan Kumar Bansal of the Congress, and Kirron Kher of the BJP, the saffron party was hit by dissent over Kher’s nomination.
Kirron Kher, 58, was received with black flags and unfriendly slogans at the local BJP office on Tuesday. Some of the party workers even pelted eggs and stones at her car. Three people were booked for the offence. The party meeting witnessed chaotic scenes as one section refused to acknowledge Kher’s candidature, calling her an ‘outsider’.
Kher, a television and film personality, is married to actor Anupam Kher. The annoyance over her candidature was triggered after the BJP’s central leadership overlooked three big contenders for the seat, including state party chief Sanjay Tandon, former MP Satya Pal Jain and former Union minister Harmohan Dhawan. Each of them unsuccessfully lobbied for a party ticket from Chandigarh.
Speaking to reporters, Kher said, “I am the daughter of Chandigarh and daughter-in-law of Himachal Pradesh. I have represented this city in badminton championships across the country and spent my life in this city, so I am not an outsider. My permanent address is that of Chandigarh. I will definitely win.”
The AAP also has struggled with its nominee from Chandigarh. It first announced Savita Bhatti, the wife of noted comedian and actor Jaspal Bhatti who died in a road accident last year, as its candidate from Chandigarh. But the announcement lasted only a few days as Bhatti declared that ‘politics was not her cup of tea’ and that she was facing opposition from within the party. The AAP then picked former Miss India Gul Panag, who promised to give a good fight, even though this is her political debut.