BJP to launch campaign in Chandigarh to expose Tewari's 'failures' as MP

Manish Tewari

The BJP will launch a campaign here to highlight Congress candidate Manish Tewari's "failures" as the sitting MP from the Anandpur Sahib constituency, Chandigarh BJP vice-president Kailash Chand Jain said on April 27.

He alleged that Tewari has been shifting from one constituency to another because he failed to produce a credible performance as an MP.

Tewari, who represented the Ludhiana parliamentary constituency in 2009, is the sitting MP from Anandpur Sahib. This time, the Congress has fielded him from the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat. Jain said a delegation of NGOs from the Anandpur Sahib Lok Sabha constituency will arrive in Chandigarh to apprise voters of Tewari's "failure" to deliver as an MP.

Tewari could not bring any major development project to Ludhiana or Anandpur, the BJP leader alleged. Jain claimed that Tewari had largely been a "missing MP" in these constituencies and there are indications he is aiming at "exploiting voters in Chandigarh" but the BJP would soon launch a concerted campaign to expose him.

It was after his "failure" to deliver during his term as an MP of Ludhiana that the Congress high command decided to move him from Ludhiana to Anandpur Sahib, he added. "Now as Tewari has disappointed voters of Anandpur Sahib, the Congress has shifted him to Chandigarh," the BJP leader said, adding that it speaks volumes about Tewari as an "escapist".

The BJP has been calling Tewari a "constituency hopper". The Congress and AAP are contesting the Chandigarh seat in alliance.

Tewari became an MP for the first time from the Ludhiana seat in 2009. He was the minister of information and broadcasting. He again contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from the Anandpur Sahib seat and won, defeating Shiromani Akali Dal nominee Prem Singh Chandumajra.

The BJP has named senior party leader Sanjay Tandon as its candidate from Chandigarh. Tandon called upon first-time voters to exercise their franchise "with care and responsibility" in the interest of the nation and appealed to them to turn up in big numbers and support the political party that works for the national cause and interest.

He addressed young voters at two interactive sessions. Both the events saw participation of students aged 18 to 24 from Panjab University and prominent colleges. "India is a young country and the participation of youth in record numbers will strengthen our democracy. Voting is not just the right, it is the duty as well…," he said.