Pathankot: Ashwani Sharma banks on PM Modi's visit to boost prospects

Tribune News Service

Ravi Dhaliwal

Pathankot, February 14

State BJP chief Ashwani Sharma is banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the city on Wednesday to bolster his poll prospects even as he is locked in a fierce three-way contest with sitting Congress MLA Amit Vij and AAP’s Vibhuti Sharma.

No impact of farm bills on urban seat

The farm bills and their withdrawal have no bearing on the results on this urban seat. Surveys have proved that whatever effect these bills will have, will be in rural areas. In my constituency, there are just 25 villages. Ashwani Sharma, State BJP Chief

The two other parties in the fray — SAD-BSP and Sanyukt Samaj Morcha — are being touted as “non-entities”. The reason is that they wield little or no influence in this predominantly Hindu seat.

In the 2014 General Election, Modi, who was not the PM then, had selected Pathankot to kick-start the nationwide campaign of the BJP. This development had given a fillip to BJP candidate Vinod Khanna, who went on to win by nearly 1.30 lakh votes.

At present, the party high command is regularly in touch with Ashwani’s key men, namely Dr Samrendra Sharma, ex-member of the Punjab Public Service Commission, and former Mayor Anil Vasudeva, to work out the logistics of the PM’s visit. They are also the BJP’s spin doctors and are responsible for building up a narrative in favour of their candidate.

Ashwani’s team is also banking on the likelihood that Vibhuti will slice into the Congress vote bank. “Vibhuti was a die-hard Congressman and was the chairman of the Improvement Trust before

he fell out with the party. There are indications based on the ground-level reports that he will cut the Congress vote bank. This will give a definite advantage to Ashwani,” said Samrendra.

Meanwhile, the BJP team is busy informing the voters that either a PGI or AIIMS satellite centre will be established in Talwara Jattan village on 70 acres, if their candidate wins.

“Such projects are a prerogative of the Centre. If voted to power, there are considerable chances that the BJP government in New Delhi will appease the MLA who belongs to the same party,” said a BJP MLA.

Abohar schools, colleges to remain shut on Feb 17

• All government and private schools and colleges in Abohar subdivision will remain shut on February 17 due to the PM’s rally scheduled to be held at the New Grain Market here.
• In a letter to the heads of all educational institutions on Monday, the District Education Officer said the step had been taken under the administration’s instructions. oc

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