BJP expels Karnal leader Chander Parkash Kathuria for six years from primary membership
The move comes after his video of falling from a balcony went viral
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has expelled its leader from Haryana’s Karnal, Chander Parkash Kathuria, from the primary membership of the party for six years. The reason behind the party’s move was not mentioned in the letter issued by state unit president Subhash Barala.
The move comes two days after a video had went viral wherein he was seen falling down from balcony of an apartment in Chandigarh while he was trying to come down with the help of a piece of cloth.
“Yes, he has been expelled from the party for six years on the basis of a video, which raised questions on his character,” Jagmohan Anand, the BJP’s Karnal unit district president, said.
The reason behind his attempts to escape from the balcony could not be ascertained yet as he was unavailable for comments. He has reportedly fractured his foot in the incident.
Kathuria, who hails from Sector 13 in Karnal, had sought BJP ticket from the Karnal Lok Sabha seat in the last parliamentary election.
He had also contested the assembly election from Karnal unsuccessfully on BJP ticket in 2009.
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Kolkata Port: Decline in number of voters during SIR brings in uncertainty in TMC bastion
Kolkata (PTI): A sharp decline in the number of voters following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has injected an element of uncertainty into the Kolkata Port Assembly constituency, considered a safe seat for the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).
The electorate in the south Kolkata constituency has dropped from 2.36 lakh in the 2021 Assembly polls to around 1.75 lakh, a fall of nearly 26 per cent, prompting political parties to closely assess its potential impact on the April 29 polling.
The TMC re-nominated senior minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, who has held the seat for two consecutive terms, while the BJP fielded Rakesh Singh. The Congress nominated Aquib Gulzar, and the CPI(M) put up Faiyaz Ahmad Khan, making it a four-cornered contest.
Kolkata Port, part of the Kolkata Dakshin parliamentary constituency, comprises dock areas, old business districts and densely populated neighbourhoods. Muslim voters form a significant segment of the electorate, alongside traders, transport workers and working-class Hindu families.
The reduction in voter numbers has prompted party workers across formations to scrutinise the revised rolls booth-wise to identify deletions and assess whether specific localities have been affected.
Singh’s candidature has added a twist to the contest. He had earlier contested against Hakim as a Congress candidate but is now in the fray on a BJP ticket.
Hakim won the seat in 2016 by 26,548 votes, defeating Singh, and increased his margin significantly to 68,554 votes in 2021, polling over one lakh votes.
While the TMC has expressed confidence in retaining the seat, opposition parties have raised concerns over the voter list revision, alleging that names of genuine voters have been removed.
“People here know who has stood by them. Elections are decided by trust,” Hakim told PTI during a campaign event.
Singh claimed several residents had complained about missing names in the rolls, stressing the need for transparency. The CPI(M) nominee also said voters in several areas had raised similar concerns.
The constituency has remained a difficult terrain for the opposition in recent elections.
Civic issues such as sanitation, traffic congestion and declining business activity in traditional markets also feature in the campaign in the constituency, though the revised voter list has emerged as a key talking point.
Polling in the constituency will be held in the second phase on April 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.
