CHANDIGARH: The ruling AAP as well as opposition Congress are worried over “poaching” of their leaders by the BJP. The Congress is trying to find candidates who do not have a chequered past and AAP is hard-pressed to keep its flock together.Sources said the Congress has tweaked the selection criteria. The state leadership is focusing on candidates who do not have any case linked to the vigilance or Enforcement Directorate (ED). This is meant to thwart the possibility of arm-twisting them or preventing their vulnerability to poaching. Recently party MLA and Deputy Leader of Opposition Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal joined AAP as he had a vigilance case pending against him.Sources in the party apprehend that the BJP can use the Central investigating agencies against its leaders, including former CM Charanjit Singh Channi, former ministers Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Sangat Singh Gilzian and Bharat Bhushan Ashu as vigilances cases are registered against them.On the other hand, AAP has decided to hold meetings of all its MLAs with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann after the March 31 Delhi rally. Mann is expected to listen to the grievances of party lawmakers in their constituencies. By conducting these meetings, the party aims to form a strategy for the Lok Sabha polls.Every state legislator has been asked to get at least 1,000 supporters for the Delhi rally. The lawmakers fear that failure to do so could lead to their wings being clipped and a parallel leader being propped up in their segments.
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