The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday widened its political horizon in Punjab by announcing candidates for the February 20 assembly polls from all segments of voters, including farmers, Scheduled Castes and the Sikhs. The party, in the process, apparently made attempts at diminishing the competitive advantage its rivals gained by banking on the farmers’ issues, tying up with the BSP or projecting Dalit or Sikh leaders as the Chief Minister’s face.
Releasing its first list of candidates, the saffron party announced 34 names, of the total 65 seats it is expected to contest in alliance with the former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress, and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led SAD Sanyukt).
“Out of 34 candidates in the first list, 12 are from farmer families, eight from the Scheduled Caste category, and 13 are from the Sikh community...The list has doctors, lawyers, sportspersons, farmers, youth, women, and former IAS,” said BJP’s national general secretary Tarun Chugh, while addressing the media along with party’s general secretary in-charge for Punjab Dushyant Kumar Gautam and Union Minister and party's co-in-charge for assembly elections Hardeep Singh Puri.
Interestingly, the first list of party candidates does not include the name of Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma, who is expected to be fielded from Pathankot. On the other hand, the party has allotted tickets to the leaders from other parties who joined BJP recently —former Minister and sitting MLA from Guru Har Sahai Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi has been fielded from Ferozepur City, former MLA Arvind Khanna from Sangrur, former Congress leader and Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s close aide Nimisha Mehta from Garhshankar, and former Akali MLA Didar Singh Bhatti from Fatehgarh Sahib, among others.
The party has also fielded its two sitting MLAs — former Deputy Speaker Dinesh Babu from Sujanpur and first-time MLA Arun Narang from Abohar — to seek re-election from their respective seats.
Besides, the saffron party has decided to lay its best on tried and tested soldiers, including former Ministers —Manoranjan Kalia from Jalandhar Central, Surjit Kumar Jiyani from Fazilka, and Tikshan Sud from Hoshiarpur. Besides, former chief parliamentary secretary Krishan Dev Bhandari has been fielded from Jalandhar North and Mohan Lal from Banga.
Senior party leaders Mahendra Pal Bhagat and Raghunath Rana will contest from Jalandhar West and Dasuya respectively.
Kanwar Vir Singh Tohra from the family of Gurcharan Singh Tohra, who joined the saffron brigade only recently, has been fielded from Amloh.
In an interesting development, BJP has allotted ticket to a former bureaucrat SR Ladhar, who had organized protest rallies against the Central Government during the farmers’ agitation against the farm laws. In fact, the former IAS officer later had also floated his own political outfit for the farmers. Ladhar will be contesting as BJP candidate from Gill assembly segment. Puran Chand will contest from Jalalabad against Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal. Highlighting the steps taken by the Centre for Punjab, Punjab BJP in-charge Dushyant Gautam said that the elections will throw up surprising results in the state.
“The people of Punjab are suffering from misgovernance. Years ago, drug addiction, corruption and many other problems had cropped up in the State, unfortunately even today, those problems remain the same. No progress has been made in Punjab under the previous government,” said Gautam, clearly spelling out that the BJP would work towards solving these problems. SITTING MLAs: MLA Dinesh Babu from Sujanpur; MLA Arun Narang from Abohar; MLA Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi from Ferozepur City (former Minister, former Congressman, Guru Har Sahai MLA)
FORMER MLAs, MINISTERS : Manoranjan Kalia from Jalandhar Central; Tikshan Sud from Hoshiarpur; Surjit Jyani frm Fazilka; Krishan Dev Bhandari from Jalandhar North; Mohan Lal from Banga; Didar Singh Bhatti from Fatehgarh Sahib; Arvind Khanna from Sangrur
OTHERS: Garshankar: Namisha Mehta; Amloh: Kanwar Vir Singh Tohra from the family of Gurcharan Singh Tohra; Gill: SR Laddar, retired IAS; Kapurthala: Ranjit Singh Khojewal, a Kabaddi player; Jalandhar West: Mahendra Pal Bhagat; Mukerian: Jangi Lal Mahajan; Dasuya: Raghunath Rana; Dinanagar: Renu Kashyap; Sri Hargobindpur (SC): Baljinder Singh Dakoha; Amritsar North: Sukhwinder Singh Pintu; Tarn Taran: Navreet Singh Safipur; Chabewal (SC): Dr Dilbagh Rai; Balachaur: Ashok Baath; Khanna: Gurpreet Singh Bhatti; Ludhiana Central: Gurdev Sharma; Ludhiana West: Advocate Vikram Singh Sidhu; Jagraon: Kanwar Narinder Singh; Jalalabad: Puran Chand; Mukhtsar: Rajesh Bathela; Faridkot: Gaurav Kakkar; Bhuchomandi: Rupinder Singh Sidhu; Talwandi Sabo: Ravi Preet Singh Sidhu; Sardulgarh: Jagjit Singh Milkha; Dera Bassi: Sanjiv Khanna
