Despite BAP tieup in Banswara, Cong.’s original candidate says he will contest

Despite the Opposition Congress entering into an alliance with the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) for the April 26 election at Rajasthan’s BanswaraDungarpur Lok Sabha seat, the original Congress candidate, Arvind Damor, on Tuesday expressed his intention to fight the polls with “full strength”.

Mr. Damor, who is the State Youth Congress general secretary, refused to budge amid reports that the party had expelled him from its primary membership for six years on Monday for his act of indiscipline by not withdrawing his nomination till the last date of taking back the names. However, a Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson did not confirm the reports of expulsion.

Along with Mr. Damor, Congress nominee Kapur Singh also did not withdraw his papers for the State Assembly byelection in Banswara district’s Bagidora seat, where the party has extended support to BAP candidate Jai Krishna Patel.

Mr. Damor told journalists in Banswara that the Congress leadership had

Arvind Damor. put his 17yearlong political career at stake by first asking him to file his nomination and then giving him instructions to withdraw his name. “I would have refused to contest [the polls] in the first place, had I been told that I would have to withdraw my candidature,” he said.

‘Oppose alliance’

Mr. Damor, who has received the Congress party’s symbol for the election, said he had decided to stay put in the fray to “protect the selfrespect” of the local Congress leaders who were not in favour of an alliance with the BAP. Any kind of understanding with the rival party would weaken the Congress in the tribaldominated region in the long run, he affirmed.