The saffron brigade is looking at the electoral race course before laying its bet on the political horses in Punjab. Initially planning to add a star power to its election campaign, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has now decided to hold its horses for some time more.
Changing its strategy after the rivals, especially the Congress, played their horses, the saffron party is now looking for the candidates according to the electoral racecourses.
Earlier, the BJP was considering to field Bollywood actress Poonam Dhillon or Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh from Amritsar constituency assuming that the Congress may field a heavyweight just like the previous polls. But as the Congress decided to retain its sitting MP Gurjit Singh Aujla, BJP is now looking for a suitable Sikh face for the holy city.
After proposing or recommending several names, both from within the state party unit and from outside, the BJP has now reportedly shortlisted the names of party’s new entrant Harinder Singh Khalsa — Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) former leader and Fatehgarh Sahib MP, and Nirpreet Kaur — one of the key witnesses in 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar — from Amritsar.
With Khalsa giving up ‘broom’ to hold a ‘lotus’, BJP not only gets a prominent Sikh face, but is expected to give a much needed push to the party’s prospects in the ensuing elections in the State.
Khalsa, a former Indian diplomat who resigned in protest against the Operation Bluestar in 1984, had defeated Congress’ sitting MLA Sadhu Singh Dharamsot with 54,144 votes from Fatehgarh Sahib in 2014 elections. With all panthic credentials, Khalsa’s name has reportedly been shortlisted for Amritsar seat.
But, it is Nirpreet Kaur who is leading the race for thee seat. Along with Jagdish Kaur and Jagsher Singh, Nirpreet is among three eyewitnesses on whose testimony the Delhi High Court convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in 1984 cases. However, the party sources neither confirmed nor denied that Nirpreet has agreed to contest polls.
Besides, the local prominent Sikh face Rajinder Mohan Singh Chinna — who unsuccessfully contested 2017 bye-elections, and former Minister Anil Joshi — who lost 2017 state assembly polls to Congress’ Sunil Dutti from Amritsar North segment, were also under consideration.
Earlier, the party had considered the name of the Union Minister of State Hardip Puri, who has reportedly expressed his reluctance from contesting the polls and insisted on continuing as Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh.
It has also been learnt that the BJP has made up its mind to replace its sitting MP and Union Minister Vijay Sampla who is facing stiff opposition within the party, especially in his constituency.
To replace Sampla, BJP has shortlisted the names of its sitting Phagwara MLA Som Parkash, and local leader and Dalit face Rajesh Bagha.
The party surveys have favoured Som Parkash, who lost 2009 general elections to Congress’ Santosh Chowdhary by a slim margin of 366 votes, as its Hoshiarpur candidate over Sampla.
Parkash, who has been two-time MLA from Phagwara, is a retired bureaucrat who had served as Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner for many years, and is in the know of the issues of the district.
Presently, the BJP has a negligible presence in Punjab with just one parliamentarian in the Lok Sabha, and three legislators in the Vidhan Sabha. The party has been on a constant lookout for a strong and winnable faces, especially a Sikh leader, that could help it make a comeback in Punjab after May 19 elections.
Earlier, the cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu was holding the fort for the party. But since he moved on to join the Congress party, BJP was virtually left in the lurch.
At the time when the nation was swept by Modi wave in 2014 polls, BJP won two seats in Punjab, out of the total three it contested in alliance with the SAD. However, the number came down to just one after it lost 2017 Gurdaspur by-election.
