Jain may be BJP choice from Kharar

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 28

Following talks with party ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal, the BJP is strongly considering the name of its former Member of Parliament Satya Pal Jain as the party candidate from the Kharar Assembly constituency.

The Kharar constituency is currently in the name of the SAD in the seat-sharing arrangement of 23:94 between the two alliance partners. Confirming that talks had been held, a senior party office-bearer said the BJP was working out the modalities for exchanging Kharar with Rajpura. BJP candidate Raj Khurana, who had lost by nearly 34,000 votes in the last Vidhan Sabha elections from Rajpura, is not a party favourite at the moment.

The Kharar constituency was won by the Congress candidates during the previous two elections against the SAD candidates.

Keeping the alliance intact, the BJP is contesting 23 seats of the total 117 this time. However, talks are being held on the possible change in constituencies of certain candidates. The party was earlier willing to give up Ludhiana (West), Rajpura, Abohar and Amritsar (East). 

The BJP wanted Barnala, Mansa, Batala and Garhshankar. The BJP is seeking the Mansa seat where Akali MLA Prem Mittal has lost favour with the SAD. The BJP wants to field Neeraj Tayal, son of Hit Abhilashi who was gunned down by terrorists. The party is also considering fielding senior leader Avinash Rai Khanna from Garhshankar. The seat was given to the SAD when two-time MLA Khanna became a Rajya Sabha member. Though there was no official confirmation from the BJP, sources close to Satya Pal Jain confirmed that he had been approached by at least three leaders. The former MP is learnt to be “not interested at all”.

A senior leader said going by his reputation, the party considered him the best bet for the Kharar seat. Jain was twice a Member of Parliament from Chandigarh. Born and brought up in Kharar, Jain has had a long association with the area. He is learnt to have communicated that he is “busy handling legal matters in his capacity as the Additional Solicitor General of India and is not prepared for any change in his role”.