Denied Ticket, Former MP Civil Servant Wants Her Job Back, Says Congress ‘Betrayed Me’, Might Join BJP – News18

A former Deputy Collector in Madhya Pradesh, who gave up a career in the civil services to join Congress, has accused the party of “betraying” her by denying her ticket first in the state assembly election and now in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.

Nisha Bangre, a former Deputy Collector, now wants her job back, an Indian Express report said.

“I was brave enough to leave my job. They played politics with me. The Congress made me quit my job. The BJP government delayed my resignation. I am facing politics now. I am struggling. Whatever is my fate, I accept it now. This was a big betrayal. This was injustice,” she was quoted by the Indian Express as saying.

Bangre was posted as Deputy Collector in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh. While serving as the sub-divisional magistrate in the Lavkushnagar region, she resigned, allegedly because Bangre was denied leave from work to attend the International All Religion Peace Conference and World Peace Prize Award Ceremony in Betul.

“When I got posted in Amla (Assembly constituency in Betul district), people suggested I should join politics. I wanted to make pro-people policies,” she said.

Ahead of the assembly elections, Bangre was approached by the Congress party, she said.

“The Congress approached me, I did want to go at the time. I did not have a political background, neither am I from a financially strong family. Then I thought, if I have an opportunity, I will take it up. In the end I could not get a ticket. If Kamal Nath wanted he could have given me a ticket, but he didn’t because of local politics. It was the Congress Betul leadership which was scared of an educated woman joining politics,” Bangre told the Indian Express.

“I could have become a collector and not struggled so much. In politics I was attacked, they called me greedy,” she added.

The BJP emerged victorious in the Assembly Elections bagging 168 out of 230 seats in the state, following which, Kamal Nath resigned from the post of the state Congress president. The high command installed a new leadership, which dissolved most of the postings made during Nath’s tenure.

“After the result, there was a big change. They dissolved all the committees. I had no responsibility. My family thought I should return to my job. If the party had given me a ticket, at least all this would have been worth it. They gave me the post of a spokesperson; I wanted serious organisational duties and not to appear on TV,” Bangre said.

‘Thinking…’: Nisha Bangre on Joining BJP

Amid many other party leaders jumping ship and joining the BJP before the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, Bangre said she was open to joining the ruling party too. “I am thinking along those lines,” she said.

Congress Reacts Nisha Bangre’s Claims

In response to Bangre’s claims, the Congress party said they offered her all possible responsibilities.

“People joining the party cannot come without the condition of getting a ticket. They have to work hard and she was given responsibilities. It takes time to build a career in politics. We supported her through her struggle. If she wants to leave, we can’t stop her,” a Congress spokesperson was quoted by Indian Express as saying.