Ticket dispute in MC elections exposes cracks in Ferozepur BJP; Rebels doubt 2027 victory, blame leadership for growing discontent
Action was necessary to maintain party discipline: BJP Distt President, Surjeet Singh Bath
Ferozepur, August 11, 2026: Cracks within the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Ferozpur unit came to the fore when three leaders, recently expelled from the party for six years on charges of anti-party activities, held a press conference at the Press Club, Firozpur, and raised serious questions over the distribution of tickets for the recent municipal corporation elections.
The leaders expressed strong resentment against what they described as the “indifferent and arbitrary attitude” of the party leadership in denying tickets to dedicated workers without assigning any reason or issuing show-cause notices.
The BJP district unit had earlier taken disciplinary action against four leaders — Rajesh Kumar Nindi, Ashwani Grover, Manish Dhawan and Rohit Dhawan — during a joint meeting of the district core committee, district team and disciplinary committee. They were expelled for six years on the charge of allegedly violating party discipline during the municipal corporation elections.
Notably, Rajesh Kumar Nindi had supported his wife Jeevan Bala, who contested as an independent candidate from his ward. Ashwani Grover himself contested as an independent from his ward. Manish Dhawan’s wife Chanpreet Dhawan also entered the fray as an independent, while Rohit Dhawan’s wife Ritu Dhawan contested on the Shiromani Akali Dal ticket from her ward. All these rebel candidates or their relatives, however, faced defeat in their respective wards.
They alleged that by arbitrarily refusing tickets, the BJP had lost dedicated workers. They appealed to the BJP high command to review the decision and address the grievances of ground-level workers.
The leaders alleged that workers who stood firmly with the BJP even during difficult times were being ignored, while newcomers were allegedly being given preference. They said such a policy could weaken the party’s grassroots organisation.
The development comes at a time when the BJP is preparing for the next assembly elections and has expressed confidence in contesting independently and winning a substantial number of seats in Punjab.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the party’s present performance, one of the leaders went to the extent of claiming that under the prevailing circumstances, it would be difficult for the BJP to form a government in Punjab in 2027 or even in 2032.
Meanwhile, BJP Ferozepur District President Surjeet Singh Bath had already defended the disciplinary action. He stated that contesting against the party’s official candidates or supporting anti-party activities constitutes a clear violation of organisational discipline. Such activities, he said, cannot be tolerated, and the action was necessary to maintain discipline within the party.