Chandigarh: BJP, Congress to give Holi a miss

CHANDIGARH: The festival of colours has turned out to be the biggest platform for political parties in the city to woo voters.

Chandigarh Congress president Pradeep Chhabra and city MP Kirron Kher have decided not to celebrate Holi to pay respect to the martyrs of the Pulwama terror attack.

Since Holi is a crucial festival for the political parties, Chandigarh Congress organised a major Holi milan programme under the banner of the Purvanchal Vikas Mahasangh in Ramnagar area of Mauli Jagran on Sunday. Manish Bansal, son of former city MP Pawan Kumar Bansal, was the chief guest on the occasion.

The programme was organised by Shashi Shankar Tewari, general secretary of the Congress and head of the Purvanchal Vikas Mahasangh.

During the celebrations, Bhojpuri musical programme was organised for the gathering to show the party’s cultural solidarity for the people belonging to the Purvanchal community.

On the other hand, BJP chief Sanjay Tandon also organised Holi programme on Sunday. Celebrations of a few groups are already going on in different areas.

Migrated voters, whose numbers is the largest in the city, belong to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Uttarakhand, play a crucial role in the elections. Since, all the political parties have specific groups or cells like Purvanchal cell (UP, Bihar), Garwali cell, Himachali cell etc, office-bearers of these cells have been organising small-level Holi functions keeping elections as the centric point.

Chandigarh BJP chief Sanjay Tandon issued directions on Sunday to all office-bearers to go to booth-level to organise Holi milan programmes.

“In view of the Pulwama attack, instead of holding any major event in the city from the party’s side, we have decided to hold small celebrations in different parts of the city at booth and mandal levels,” said Tandon.