Ggm MLA’S wife drops plan to contest as independent
GURUGRAM: The BJP’S MLA Umesh Aggarwal’s wife Anita Aggarwal withdrew her candidature for the Gurgaon assembly constituency on Monday, following discussions with senior leaders and prominent members of his community, who reportedly convinced him not to go against the party line.
Aggarwal, in a statement, said he had a detailed discussion with Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar as well, after which they decided to take back the nomination filed by his wife.
“He had a meeting with senior party leaders, community members, and the chief minister, and decided to withdraw his wife’s candidature in the interest of the party,” a spokesperson for Aggarwal said. He has, however, maintained that hundreds of his supporters and BJP functionaries aligned with him wanted his wife to contest the poll as an independent candidate.
Aggarwal had decided to field his wife after the BJP denied him a party ticket despite winning the 2014 elections by a record margin of 84,000 votes. BJP insiders said that his opposition to Khattar in the initial years of the BJP government was the reason he was not given the mandate in 2019.
The withdrawal of Anita’s nomination is likely to help the BJP, as it would be able to consolidate its rank and file, which are, according to experts, slightly in disarray, as both sitting MLAS from Badshahpur and Gurgaon have been denied tickets. “There is some disquiet among party workers due to this decision, but finally it seems they have got over the shock,” a BJP leader, who spoke to HT.