The Hand in MC gets Elephant boost

The move comes after BSP leader Harmohan Dhawan joined BJP a few months ago,bringing along two of the four BSP councillors. Bhatia,considered close to Dhawan,was earlier part of the Chandigarh Vikas Manch,a party floated by Dhawan. The party had extended support to the Congress in the 1999 general elections. After Dhawan shifted to BSP,Bhatia followed suit. But this time, Bhatia decided to join the Congress.

Bhatia said he consulted all his polling agents during the last MC elections,who suggested he should join the Congress.

Dhawan,meanwhile,said Bhatia had stabbed him in the back. “He had come to me on September 13 and assured me that he would be joining the BJP. I was shocked to know that he has joined the Congress. He should not have lied to me. Bhatia should have some political ethics. He should resign and then contest on a Congress ticket. I am sure he would not win.”

Dhawan added that the Congress would not benefit from Bhatia’s entry into its fold; rather,it has caused resentment among a section of the party. Internal dissent would increase,Dhawan said.

After the 2006 civic polls,the Congress had 12 councillors,Akali Dal two,BSP five and the BJP seven.

In 2007,after the death of a councillor,by-election was held where Congress councillor H C Kalyan was elected.

The following year,before the election of the mayor,Ram Sumer Morya and Vijay Singh Rana joined the Congress. This helped the Congress to get a Mayor from the party elected. After the elections,however,Morya went back to the BSP. Akali councillor Harjinder Kaur said absolute power corrupts. “We have seen the way the Congress has been behaving in the House. There is a lack of transparency in their functioning. They have their way in passing of the agendas. There is a need to rise above party lines in the Municipal Corporation and work for the development of the people,” she said.