Panchayat Backing Dalal Demands, Change in Faridabad Congress Nominee

In a show of discontent against the Congress party's decision to field a different candidate from Faridabad, a Sarv Jatiya (all communities) Panchayat held by supporters of former MLA Karan Singh Dalal has demanded a change in the party's nominee. The panchayat has given the party an ultimatum of one week to replace the existing candidate with Dalal, failing which he would be free to contest from another registered political party. 

Dalal's Supporters Flex Muscle

The panchayat, attended by several hundred people from various sections of society in the region, was called by Dalal's supporters to chalk out their strategy after he was denied a ticket by the Congress party. The gathering described the denial of the party ticket to Dalal as an insult to the sentiments of people from various communities.

Prominent figures such as former MLAs Tek Chand Sharma and Kehar Singh Rawat were present at the meeting and addressed the gathering. The panchayat functioned for over four hours and passed a resolution demanding that the party replace its current candidate with Dalal by May 6. If the demand is not met, Dalal would be free to contest from any other registered political party from the Faridabad seat, the resolution stated.

Ultimatum to Congress Party

However, the panchayat resolved that Dalal should not contest as an independent candidate in the given circumstances. The supporters claimed that Dalal had been preparing for the elections for the past two years and was not consulted by the party high command before the decision to field a different candidate was made.

Mahender Pratap Singh, a former minister and five-time MLA, was announced as the Congress candidate from Faridabad last Friday, leaving Dalal and his supporters annoyed. Dalal, who is a confidant and kin of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, said that he had not received any message from Hooda or any senior functionary of the party so far. 

Farmers' Body Weighs In

Interestingly, Mahender Singh Chauhan, the spokesperson of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a body of farmers, attended the meeting and stated that the morcha has appealed to Dalal not to contest the elections if the party does not take a decision in his favour by May 6. However, Chauhan added that the morcha would support the Congress candidate in the poll, whoever he may be.