New Delhi: The BJP on Friday (January 21) released the first list of its candidates for the ensuing Punjab polls. The list exemplifies one of the most ambitious poll campaigns for the saffron party in Punjab in recent times, having 12 farmers, eight Schedule Castes and 13 Sikh candidates.
"Tickets have been given to 12 candidates who belong to farmers' families…..the list also has doctors, lawyers, sportspersons and former IAS officers," said Tarun Chugh, BJP national general secretary.
The first list released on Friday has 34 names. As announced earlier, Punjab will go to the polls on February 20 and not February 14. The poll panel had received several representations from the state government, political parties and other organizations drawing attention regarding the movement of many devotees from Punjab to Varanasi for participation in Sri Guru Ravidas Jayanti celebrations, which falls on February 16 2022.
Late Akali stalwart and former SGPC chief Gurucharan Singh Tohra's grandson Kanwarveer Singh has been fielded from Amloh. Among others, former Punjab Minister and ex-Congress leader Rana Gurmit S Sodhi will be the saffron party nominee from Ferozepur. Sodhi won 2017 polls on Congress ticket from Ferozepur.
Similarly, there is also the name of former IAS officer S R Laddar, who has been fielded as the BJP nominee from Gill. From Kapurthala, the BJP nominee will be Ranjeet Khojewal, a noted Kabaddi player.
Former Congress leader and industrialist Arvind Khanna will contest from Sangrur, and another former Minister, Manoranjan Kalia, will be BJP candidate in Jalandhar Central. In the Garshankar constituency, the BJP nominee is Nimisha Mehta, a former Congress leader.
Among others, BJP's list includes – Sujanpur – Dinesh Singh Babbu, Dinanagar (SC) – Renu Kashyap, Hargobindpur – Baljinder Singh Dakoha, Jalandhar West – Mahendra Pal Bhagat. Taran Taran- Navnit Singh Lovely and Hoshiyarpur – Dikshan Sood.
