Ludhiana bypoll: Cong's Ashu's campaign ends with roadshow; sans Punjab chief Warring, LoP Bajwa
The rift between Congress's candidate for Ludhiana West bypoll Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Punjab Congress president cum Ludhiana Lok Sabha MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring was once again visible Tuesday, as the campaigning for the bypoll drew to an end.
Ashu concluded his campaign with a roadshow in the city, but Warring and leader of opposition in Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa were nowhere to be seen. The party's district president (urban) and former Ludhiana East MLA Sanjay Talwar was also absent from Ashu's concluding roadshow.
However, those who led the show with Ashu included AICC Punjab affairs incharge Bhupendra Baghel, former Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi, former minister Vijay Inder Singla, MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh among others.
A press release issued by Ashu's team claimed that Warring was present at the roadshow. However, he was nowhere seen in the photos. Contacted, Warring said: 'I was not present at the roadshow today due to some personal work. I was in Ludhiana but did not attend the roadshow. I have no idea why my name has been written in the press release claiming I attended it.'
However, sources close to Warring said that he was upset over not being invited to the roadshow and hence decided to maintain a distance. The source further said that a day ago on Monday, when Warring along with Baghel and Bajwa had addressed a press conference in the city, Ashu chose to skip it and did not attend, which upsetted Warring. 'Even the photos of Warring and other local leaders were missing from the roadshow's invitation which were sent yesterday,' said the source.
So even as Warring was present in Ludhiana Tuesday, he skipped Ashu's roadshow. Later in a Facebook post, he uploaded his photos while meeting and having lunch with Baghel, Talwar and former MLAs Kuldip Vaid and Surinder Dawar– the local faces who were missing from Ashu's roadshow.
Meanwhile, Ashu asked his workers and supporters to be alert and careful during these two crucial days. He said the ruling AAP will try its level best to use all unfair means to influence voters. 'Whenever any such thing comes to your notice, sound the team in the office and we will take care and will not allow any such thing to happen', he said.
Ashu, who is also the party's co-working president, appealed to the people of Ludhiana West to participate in the festival of democracy wholeheartedly by coming out of their homes to cast their vote. 'The process will complete once you press the button on the EVM to elect your representative', he told them, while asserting that every vote will count at the end.
'The choice is between a commoner and a billionaire,' said Ashu, hitting at the AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora.
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