Chandigarh: Fearing a dent in its votebank due to presence of a large number of rebels, Congress today deputed party general secretary B K Hariprasad to dissuade them from entering the poll fray in Punjab.
"There were around 40-48 (rebels) initially. But the number has come down now. We are talking to them. Let's see by tomorrow (how things shape up)," Hariprasad told PTI here. He, however, said rebellion from some state Congress leaders, who have been denied tickets, would not cause significant damage to the poll prospects of the party.
"It's a common problem these days that one has to cope. Even our opponent Akali Dal faces the same problem," the Congress leader pointed out. Meanwhile, Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh accused the ruling SAD of trying to buy some of the rebels and convincing them to contest against Congress candidates.
Amarinder said he has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging official machinery of Punjab's Vigilance Bureau (VB) being flagrantly misused for ferrying huge amounts of black money for paying it to the Congress rebels. He said the SAD had also come to know about a SHO rank officer who was working at the behest of the Akalis. A SAD leader dismissed the allegations as baseless and said it reflected sheer frustration on part of the Congress leaders.
Amarinder said he was confident that rebels, who initially numbered around 50, would settle down and toe the party line. "Now, there are around 20 left and we are talking to them," he said.
Meanwhile, Sehajdhari Sikh Party, a registered political party, today formally announced its decision to withdraw its 21 candidates from the poll fray and extend support to Congress candidates. (PTI)