As many as 40 office bearers of Punjab Congress resigned today over last minute changes in candidature ahead of the Phagwara municipal corporation elections.
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPPC) Secretary Jagjit Singh Bittu, state executive member Manish Bhardwaj, Phagwara Block Congress Committees (Urban and Rural) Presidents Sanjiv Bugga and Daljit Raju, Kapurthala DCC Vice- President and General Secretary Ashok Prashar and Sunil Prashar, SC Cells Phagwara (urban and Rural) Presidents Darshan Lal and Surjit Khera resigned from their posts among others, PPCC General Secretary and Doaba Zone incharge Joginder Singh Mann said.
Mann, a three-time MLA from Phagwara said he and his supporters have given an ultimatum to the state high command to reconsider its decision by February 13 or face their next phase of protest action.
The MLA stated that candidatures of Agam Parashar (Ward No 49) and Ashok Chadha (Ward No 21) were changed suddenly today, being the last day of filing nominations.
"A huge embarrassment was caused to these candidates as they had earlier filed their nomination papers as Congress candidates from these wards," he said.
"They were abruptly replaced by party high-ups with Ashwani Sharma and Vijay Sondhi respectively," Mann said.
He claimed that he and rival group leader Balbir Raja Sodhi had buried their hatchets long back and hammered out a consensus over candidates after meetings with party's state high command and others in the selection panel.
"What led to the abrupt change today is not known to me nor could I contact PPCC President Partap Singh Bajwa on phone," Mann, a former Punjab minister said.
Blaming Congress for not learning its lessons from the Delhi poll debacle, Mann cautioned Punjab Congress that it was high time that it learnt to respect ordinary party workers, the poor and the deprived sections.
The elections to the six municipal corporations will be held on February 22.
