BJP Punjab's ‘halqa in-charge’ list sparks infighting in Doaba

A list of halqa in-charges of the state, released on the BJP Punjab Facebook page on Sunday, has created a rift among rival candidates from several Assembly seats in Doaba.

The party had to withdraw the list from its page on Monday after it got reports that its leaders, whose names figured in it, shared it on social media and started getting congratulatory messages. Also, those whose names did not appear on it stand disillusioned, leading to confusion within and outside the party circles.

Senior party leaders have been trying to handle the matter, saying that the list was only for the purpose of making constituency-wise arrangements for the coming Moga rally of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and it has nothing to do with ticket for the 2027 Assembly polls.

"The BJP never officially uses the term halqa in-charges as this terminology is not a part of its system. Also, it is not the state leaders who decide as to who shall contest the elections. It is the parliamentary board that does it at an appropriate time. This list has no meaning other than that for assigning duties for the rally", said a party spokesperson.

Ex-MLA Sheetal Angural had shared the post of the BJP Punjab after his name had figured on the list. Angural, who is facing a stiff internal competition from Sushil Rinku, also an ex-MLA from the seat, was reportedly quite happy to see Rinku's name from Nakodar.

"Indeed I am the halqa in-charge of Jalandhar West. Rinku is the Lok Sabha in-charge for he had contested the parliamentary elections", says Angural.

A similar controversy ensued even in Jalandhar Cantonment where the name of Jagbir Brar figured on the list, disappointing his internal rivals Amit Taneja and ex-MLA Sarabjit Makkar. Taneja and Makkar have been facing a hard time telling everyone that the list was only for the purpose of the rally and no other meaning should be drawn out of it. Makkar is also learnt to have sought a clarification from the party and is learnt to have been told that his duty is for arrangements at the venue.

"But my people are clearly annoyed with the party going public with a list that has spread the confusion," Makkar rues.

Party leaders like Amit Taneja tried to further clear the air saying, "The names of general category leaders Anil Sachar and ex-Hoshiarpur Mayor Shiv Sood for reserved Assembly seats Phagwara and Chabbewal, respectively, indicate that the list had been readied with no such thought regarding keeping these candidates for the 2027 elections. Name of party president and Pathankot MLA Ashwani Sharma does not figure on the list and instead name of Rajinder Bitta has been mentioned. Does that mean that he will not contest the election from Pathankot? Obviously not."

The party leaders expressed satisfaction of withdrawing the list from the official page to end the confusion.