Ticket-seekers throng party offices

Ticket seekers for the Assembly polls in several states are making a beeline outside the offices of political parties here. Aspirants from many of the poll-bound states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab, are crowding the offices of almost all the major political parties in the national capital.

No one is sure whether he or she will get a ticket, but ticket  seekers can be found assembled at the headquarters of the respective parties in the wee hours, with hundreds of their supporters. Despite the temperature falling in Delhi, the crowds remain seated outside the party offices.

While the offices of the BJP at 11, Ashoka Road and the Congress party at 24, Akbar Road are witnessing huge crowds, the office of the AAP in Delhi’s Patel Nagar area is seemingly witnessing a lesser crowd, partly due to the party’s announcement of contesting only the Punjab and Goa Assembly elections.

A wannabe legislator, Congress leader Keshav Babu from the Hamirpur Assembly constituency of UP, said: “I have already contested two Assembly elections, but unfortunately lost the battle. I am hoping again for support and a Congress party ticket.” Devendra Pratap Singh, an aspirant from Chandauli (UP), said: “I have been actively working with the Congress party since I joined the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and have served as a district president. The previous Congress contestant failed to win the seat; thus, the party must consider my name in the coming polls.”

Gurpreet Singh from the Mansa constituency of Punjab staged a demonstration at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters with over 400 supporters. Gurpreet said: “I am offering a hand to make sure the Congress party wins in the Mansa seat.” Ranjeet Gupta, a five-time councillor from the Mahoba Assembly constituency of UP, said: “I am in Delhi since last week in order to secure a ticket. I have already submitted my bio-data to senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Raj Babbar and Sanjay Singh, and all of them have assured me of a ticket from my constituency.”

Similar scenes were witnessed at the BJP office on Ashoka Road, where hundreds of tickets-seekers gathered to submit their bio-datas to BJP state leaders from the respective poll-bound states. BJP leader and a two-time MLC, Rajkumar Aggarwal from Hardoi (UP), said: “My chances of winning the election are strong and this been proved in the MLC elections; therefore, I am sure of getting a party ticket.”