MP assembly polls: Former Congress MLA from Mhow Antar Singh Darbar holds protest after ticket denial

Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], October 21 (ANI): A former MLA of the Congress party from Mhow constituency in Indore, Antar Singh Darbar on Saturday staged a protest along with his supporters after he was not given a ticket to contest forthcoming Madhya Pradesh assembly polls.

The Congress party fielded Ram Kishore Shukla from the seat, who recently joined the Congress party after leaving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in its second list of candidates released on Thursday late night.

Speaking to ANI, former MLA Darbar said, “This protest demonstration in Mhow is to demand an answer from the party as to what parameters the party has given to ticket to him (Ram Kishore Shukla) and on what parameters my ticket has been cancelled.

He (Shukla) joined the Congress just 27 days ago and the party has given a ticket to him. This is an insult to the Congress workers. He (Shukla) was in the BJP for 20 years, Darbar said.

When asked about the contesting elections, he said, “If the public says, then I will contest the elections. I am not contacting anyone. The BJP has not contacted me.”

On the other hand, Congress candidate Ram Kishore Shukla says that Congress has been his mother organisation. Earlier, he had a discussion with Antar Singh Darbar and decided that whoever would get the ticket would work together to make the party win.

“Congress has been my mother, that is why I have come back. A few days ago I had a discussion with Antar Singh Darbar. At that time he had said that whoever gets the ticket will work together and make the party win. Right now every seat is important to form the Kamal Nath government in the state. If he (Darbar) can’t understand this, then it is a form of protest against the party. Congress party is united,” Shukla said.

Madhya Pradesh is scheduled to undergo assembly polls on November 17 and the counting of votes will take place on December 3.