Assembly Elections 2022: Former Congress MLA Aditi Singh has switched over to the BJP.
Former Congress MLA Aditi Singh today attacked Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for denying a party ticket to her husband in the upcoming Punjab assembly elections. She also accused Ms Vadra of harassment. Ms Singh, former MLA from Raebareli, has switched over to the BJP and is the party candidate in the Uttar Pradesh elections that start this month. Her husband Angad Singh Saini, current Congress MLA from Punjab's Nawanshahr assembly, was not renominated by the party and has filed his nomination as an independent candidate.
"On the one hand, she uses the slogan ladki hoon lad sakti hoon (I am a girl and I can fight). I am a woman fighting alone. Then she does this petty and cheap thing of pressuring my husband to speak against me if he wanted a ticket," Ms Singh said and accused her of being hypocritical in her politics. "If she supports women then why did she deny him a ticket because of this? She continuously tries to harass me," she alleged.
Angad Singh Saini, in an interview to NDTV, had alleged that Congress prioritised his personal life over his work for the party to deny him a ticket.
"The party has denied me a ticket and was forcing me to do something which was against my principles. I have filed my nomination as an independent," he had said and added that it's "unfortunate" that his personal life, and not his work, was taken into consideration.
Congress had given the party ticket in this stronghold to Mr Saini's family for a record 13 times in the last 60 years.
Satvir Singh Palli Jhikki is the Congress candidate from the seat this time. interestingly, he was recently appointed the district president of Captain Amarinder Singh's new party Lok Congress Party but claims he wasn't consulted for it and his loyalties lie with the grand old party.
Elections in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7.
Punjab votes in a single phase on February 20. Counting of votes for both states will be done on March 10.