Pune: The Bharatiya Janata Party has suspended for six years 69 members, including former Pune Municipal Corporation corporators, for engaging in anti-party activity. “Those party members who contested the PMC election against BJP were suspended for six years. The action followed a directive from the party’s state unit president,” Dheeraj Ghate, city unit chief of BJP, said on Wednesday.BJP politicians said the list has names of rebels who switched to other parties after they were denied tickets. They fought the Jan 15 poll either as candidates of other parties or independents, and some of them were elected corporators.“The party promised us tickets but denied them at the last moment. Some of us were left with no option but to fight on our own. We are hopeful the party will rethink its decision and withdraw the suspension,” said a suspended BJP member.Another suspended member said the party gave tickets to politicians who joined BJP from other parties just ahead of the poll. “It was an injustice to the loyal workers. So many of us preferred to rebel and contest as a mark of protest.”BJP shared seven seats with the Republican Party of India (A). The alliance won 119 seats, a two-third majority, in the 165-member house.
