Denied BJP ticket,Azad Singh resigns as North Delhi mayor

While several leaders had expressed dissatisfaction after the declaration of candidates,Singh’s is the first resignation.

“I have written to Rajnath that money has been taken in distribution of seats and deserving candidates have been sidelined. I did not meet Singh but expressed my feelings through a letter addressed to him,” Singh,who is the brother of former Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma,said.

When contacted,Singh confirmed that he has tendered his resignation as Mayor as he was the ‘deserving’ candidate from the Mundka seat.

Here,the BJP has repeated its sitting candidate Manoj Shokeen who won in 2008 by over 14,000 votes. Sources in the party said Verma and his family enjoyed clout in the Outer Delhi area during his tenure as CM. The party had won 18 seats from the region in the 1993 Assembly elections.

Incidentally,Singh’s nephew Pravesh (Verma’s son) has been nominated from Mehrauli,where Delhi Assembly Speaker Yoganand Shastri is the sitting MLA.

Asked what would be his plan of action,he said voters of the area will give an apt reply to the party. “Janta jawab degi,what do we have to do in it,” he said.

With just a month left before the Delhi polls,Singh’s resignation is certain to affect the party’s performance and morale,particularly in outer districts,according to sources in the BJP.

On Thursday,supporters of those denied tickets protested at the party’s Delhi office and at state in-charge Nitin Gadkari’s house.