Bawana by-poll: Cong banks on 3-time MLA to open its account

The Congress has banked on the "strong" candidature of three-time MLA Surender Kumar, as it looks to open its account in the Delhi Assembly by winning the Bawana constituency bypoll later this month.
Party leaders say Kumar, who has represented the constituency three times in a row between 1998 and 2008, would be able to overcome challenges from BJP's Ved Prakash and AAP's Ram Chandra.
Kumar is presently Congress' Bawana district president.
The constituency fell vacant after then sitting MLA Ved Prakash resigned as a legislator and quit the Aam Aadmi Party to join the BJP, which has fielded him for the August-23 by- poll.

"The people of the constituency are unhappy with Ved Prakash for resigning as Bawana MLA and joining the BJP. The same thing applies to AAP candidate Ram Chandra, who was with the BSP earlier," Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken told PTI.
The constituency has around 2.88 lakh voters and the Congress is eyeing major chunk of votes of the minority community and residents of villages and unauthorised colonies.

"During his three-year stint as an MLA, Ved Prakash did nothing in the constituency and there is anti-incumbency against him," said senior Congress leader Chatar Singh as he lauded Kumar for his works.

Not only for the Congress, the bypoll assumes significance for the BJP and the AAP as well.
The BJP, which has four MLAs in the 70-member Assembly, is seeking to increase its tally, while the AAP, which suffered back-to-back defeats in the Rajouri Garden by- election and the MCD polls, is looking to arrest the trend.
In the 2015 Assembly elections, the AAP had won 67 seats and the BJP the rest three. The Congress drew a blank in the elections. Later, the BJP won a bypoll for Rajouri Garden, taking it tally to four.
The Election Commission has announced the by-election for the Bawana assembly seat on August 23 and the counting on August 28.