Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 08 May 2024
In the wake of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) loss in the Adhyaksha and Up-Adhyaksh elections of Zilla Parishad South Andaman, Mr. Ajoy Bairagi, State President of the BJP in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, took decisive action on May 8, 2024. He suspended Mr. Dashrath Verma, Zilla Parishad Member of Shaheed Dweep (Neil Island), and Mr. Abdul Bashir, Zilla Parishad Member of Ferrargunj, from the party indefinitely.
The suspension follows allegations of cross-voting by Verma and Bashir in favour of candidates from the Congress Party during the Adhyaksha and Up-Adhyaksh elections of Zilla Parishad South Andaman held today.
This move by the BJP comes as a response to serious accusations levelled against Verma and Bashir by several party leaders. Despite holding a clear majority in Zilla Parishad South Andaman, BJP suffered defeat in the elections to the Congress, which had been in opposition for the last two terms.
Today’s elections witnessed Mrs. M Rajani, Zilla Parishad Member representing Tushnabad, securing the position of Adhyaksha, while Mr. P A Sharfuddin, ZPM Mithakhari, emerged victorious as the Up-Adhyaksh. Their victories mark a significant shift in the leadership of Zilla Parishad South Andaman.