400 BJP functionaries resign over ticket denial to Lahoti

Upset over BJP leader Ashok Lahoti not getting Assembly election ticket from the Civil Lines constituency here, about 400 party functionaries tendered their resignation and held a demonstration.
"Over 400 office bearers of party's eight out of the nine wards of Civil Lines area last night resigned and their resignation letters were faxed to BJP President Rajnath Singh as a protest against the nomination of party Vice-President Arun Chaturvedi from the Civl Lines seat in the first list of 176 candidates," Ashok Lahoti told reporters.
"I did not meet any state leader to express my resentment as I will meet state president Vasundhara Raje to express my views over wrong allotment of ticket to Chaturvedi," Lahoti said.

"However my supporters and party functionaries who resigned last night went to the BJP headquarters here, demanding ticket for me from the Civil Lines seat," said Lahoti, who lost the last Assembly polls from the same constituency to the Congress candidate.
BJP state vice-president Onkar Singh Lakhawat said that BJP workers had come to meet him in a cordial manner in support of Lahoti, but some anti-social elements tried to cause unrest and created unruly scenes in the party office.
There was no damage to office furniture and garden pots on the campus, Lakhawat said.

Meanwhile, in a similar protest in favour of one Ritu Banawat, wife of a BJYM leader, who has been denied ticket from the Bayana Assembly seat, a bandh was observed in Roopwas town in Bharatpur district.

Police claimed there was no untoward incident during the bandh.
The party has nominated Bacchu Singh Banshiwal from the Bayana seat.