RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, June 1: Congress party workers of Mandar constituency have marked their protest against any decision to make the daughter of Bandhu Tirkey, Shilpi Neha Tirkey a congress candidate in the Mandar assembly by-poll scheduled on June 23.
They met Jharkhand in-charge Abinash Pande and expressed their concern over the plan to give party ticket to Shilpi, who so far is not even a primary member of the party.
“In 2019 assembly election, C has contested election as party candidate and it will be injustice if a party worker is denied the ticket,” a congress party supporter from Mandar was heard saying Pandey at Sangam Garden in Morabadi where the party had organised Chintan Shivir.
In response to the protest, Pande was heard giving positive assurance to the party workers saying their words will be communicated to senior leaders of the party. He was heard saying party workers’ work is not only to contest elections.
Toppo, who is in Delhi, did not give his comment on the matter saying ‘an official declaration is yet to be taken in the matter.’ A party insider said it was wrong of the congress party workers of Mandar to make hue and cry on the matter.
“Toppo had stood sixth by getting 6,000 votes in the 2019 assembly election while Tirkey was elected getting more than 80,000 votes. Apart from this, the Mandar seat was already won by Bandhu who lost his status as legislator only when convicted in a case of having disproportionate assets,” a party insider said.
To this, a party worker replied, “If Tirkey is a real congressman he should support any congress party worker. Promoting his daughter in politics will be an attempt to promote dynastic politics.”
