Savita Bhatti opts out, deals blow to AAP

Sends email to party high command, cites ego problems, differences among workers as reasons
Rajinder Nagarkoti
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 9
In a major setback to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), its candidate for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat Savita Bhatti has opted out of the elections.

Savita Bhatti, who was fielded to take on the Congress’ likely candidate, former Union Railway Minister and sitting MP Pawan Kumar Bansal, shot off an email to the AAP office in Delhi and its Chandigarh unit, stating that she was not interested in contesting the elections.

The AAP had given the ticket to Savita Bhatti, wife of the late Jaspal Bhatti, on March 1.

Sources said in her email, Bhatti said as the city unit of the AAP was divided and party volunteers had ego problems, she did not want to contest the Lok Sabha elections. However, she said she would continue to work for the good cause of the AAP, the sources said.

On International Women’s Day yesterday, she had held a rally at the Sector 17 plaza where she pitched for the safety and protection of women. However, in the evening she decided against contesting the elections.

The sources said she was unhappy as she was not getting much support from party volunteers in the city after her candidature was announced.

Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Bhatti said she had withdrawn her candidature from the Chandigarh seat and communicated her decision to the party high command.

The observer of the Chandigarh unit of the AAP, Rupinder Kaur Dhaliwal, said last night she received a call from Bhatti saying that she did not want to contest the elections.

“I requested her to reconsider her decision, but she did not agree,” said Dhaliwal.

Though the party high command is yet to accept her decision, the sources said the names of city-based businessman Naresh Garg Bobby, a Chicago-based NRI, Dr Munish Raizada, and another businessman HK Arora were doing the rounds for the AAP candidate from the city.

Bhatti sent the email last night after attending a party workers' meeting at its Sector 21 office. While Bhatti's supporters said some party workers were not allowing her to function properly, others said she was not campaigning properly, which was required to win the Lok Sabha elections.

SMSes, emails were sent to party high command against Bhatti

After the announcement of Bhatti's name as the AAP candidate from the city, a number of AAP leaders had distanced themselves from her campaign. Even on the first day of her campaign on March 2, only a few people had turned up at the Sector 17 Plaza. There was resentment among party volunteers, who alleged that she was not approachable and did not respond to their calls and SMSes. Some of them had started sending SMSes and emails against her to the party high command.

Volunteers question her silence on Railgate

At the meeting held in Sector 21, AAP volunteers had questioned her silence on Railgate involving sitting Congress MP Pawan Kumar Bansal. An AAP volunteer said the party’s founder leader, Arvind Kejriwal, had announced Bansal’s name in the list of "corrupt politicians". It was also decided to highlight Railgate and other scams before the public, but Bhatti told the meeting that she would not say negative things about rival candidates. When Kejriwal and other senior AAP leaders could highlight corruption-related issues of senior leaders of the Congress and the BJP, why was Bhatti hesitating in raising such issues in Chandigarh? he questioned.

Political drama outside Bhatti’s residence

After sending her email to the party high command, Bhatti did not meet party workers. The sources said she had take medicines for blood pressure and was sleeping. In the evening, she left for the Golden Temple in Amritsar without meeting anyone. Earlier in the day, several supporters of Bhatti sat outside her residence in Sector 19 and requested her to reconsider her decision. A party volunteer, Meena Sharma, while addressing mediapersons, however, hit out at Bhatti. She said Bhatti had cheated the party and if she was not interested in contesting the elections, she should not have accepted the ticket at the first place. As Meena Sharma’s was leveling allegations against Bhatti, the latter's supporters confronted her and heated arguments took place among them.

Bhagwant Mann to submit report

Satirist-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann, who recently joined the AAP, has been deputed by the party high command to look into the issue. After Bhatti’s decision not to contest the Lok Sabha elections, Mann will meet her as well as party workers. He will submit a report to the party high command about the situation in the local unit of the party. Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Mann said he would meet party workers on Monday to hear their point of view. He would also meet Bhatti and submit a detailed report to the party high command. Sources said Mann would also suggest names of probable candidates in case Bhatti did not reconsider her decision.

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