NEW DELHI, November 9: In what has put the Congress party in an embarrassing position, the nomination papers of both the official candidate and covering candidates of the party from Seemapuri have been rejected. The party has now chosen an independent candidate, Malkhan Singh, to represent the party in the elections. What is ironical is that Singh was refused a ticket by the party, and had applied as an Independent candidate only after he was `pressurised' by the local party workers.On the last day of withdrawals today, the returning officer of Seemapuri, SDM R.P. Meena, has rejected the papers of the Congress' official candidate, Beer Singh, and his covering candidate, Surinder Sethi.
Beer Singh's nomination papers were rejected on the grounds of lack of a no-objection certificate or resignation letter from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, where he is still an assistant-inspector, and which makes him ineligible for contesting elections.
His covering candidate Surinder Sethi's papers were rejected because he had not filled in his age.The party has moved in quickly and sounded an Independent candidate, Malkhan Singh, who is a senior advocate with the Supreme Court, for taking over as the Congress candidate. ``I have always been a Congress man,'' says Singh, when asked why is he joining Congress when he was planning to contest as an Independent. ``I had applied for a Congress ticket but was denied. I filed papers as an Independent only because the local workers had wanted me to.'' Singh would be contesting against the BJP candidate Chander Pal Singh.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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