BJP list of 17 for Punjab poll out; Chhina candidate for Amritsar LS bypoll

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 12

The BJP on Thursday formally announced a list of 17 candidates for the Punjab Assembly polls.                       

The party has kept six seats pending, on which, party leader JP Nadda said, consultations were on.                       

Sources said efforts were being made to resolve the matter following the Prime Minister’s directive that party leaders would not seek tickets for their families.                       

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Nadda said Rajender Mohan Chhina is the party candidate for the Amritsar Lok Sabha bypoll. 

Sources said Bhagat Chunni Lal’s is the only case where candidature was being sought for son; there were other issues as well in the rest five cases.                       

In the current Punjab list, there are five sitting MPs.                       

Sources said Arun Jaitley was in favour of giving tickets to all sitting MLAs, including those whose names had been withheld. The next announcement is expected on January 15.

Meanwhile, in Goa, the BJP is considering to contest all 40 seats.                       

The Parliamentary Board will consider whether the incumbent CM will be projected as the party’s CM face. 

The BJP has fielded its sitting MLA Dinesh Singh Babbu from Sujanpur, Seema Kumari from Bhoa (SC), Ashwani Sharma from Pathankot, KD Bhandari from Jalandhar North and Sukhjeet Kaur Sahi from Dasuya.

Announcing the names of the other candidates, Nadda said the Central Election Committee of the party had cleared the name of VD Dhupad from Dinanagar (SC), Rakesh Gill from Amritsar West (SC), Tarun Chugh from Amritsar Central, Rajesh Hani from Amritsar East and Arunesh Shakar from Mukerian.

Candidates have also been announced for Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana Central, Ludhiana West, Ludhiana North, Ferozepur city, Abohar and Rajpura. With IANS