Chandigarh BJP workers greet candidate Kirron Kher with black flags, eggs

Chandigarh: Some disgruntled BJP workers on Tuesday greeted actor Kirron Kher, when she arrived in the city after the party nominated her for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat, with black flags and threw eggs at her cavalcade.

The workers termed her as an "outsider". There’s resentment among a section of BJP workers after 58-year-old Kirron's name was announced by the party on Saturday as candidate for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat, polling for which will take place on April 10. Kher, who reached here by an afternoon flight, was shown black flags at a few places enroute by a group of party workers, sources said.

She was accompanied by former MP Satya Pal Jain, who was earlier a contender for the Chandigarh seat, which is currently represented by Congress' Pawan Kumar Bansal. At a couple of places, the workers also raised slogans against her, claiming that she was an "outsider".

They created ruckus at the BJP's party office later. Eggs were also thrown at a car by some activists in which her actor husband Anupam Kher was travelling, though Kirron was not in that vehicle.

The party has named Kher as the candidate from Chandigarh, "ignoring" three frontrunners including Satya Pal Jain, Chandigarh BJP president Sanjay Tandon and former Union minister Harmohan Dhawan. When Kher's candidature was announced by the party on Saturday, there was resentment in the Chandigarh unit of the BJP, leading to a few resignations by some office bearers of the city unit.

Meanwhile, Kirron tried to downplay the protest against her by a section of BJP workers. Seeking to reach out to those who were protesting her candidature on the grounds that she was an 'outsider', Kirron told reporters that she had her roots in Chandigarh and also had connection with neighbouring Himachal Pradesh.

"I am a daughter of Chandigarh. I was born and brought up here. I have lived here. Those opposing me are also from the BJP family. We will pacify them," Kirron said. From the Chandigarh seat, where polling will be held on April 10, former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal is seeking re-election as Congress nominee.