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Aspirants anxious, BJP yet to name candidates for 4 LS seats in Punjab
While the party has declared candidates for nine out of 13 seats, it’s yet to come out with the nominees for Anandpur Sahib, Ferozepur, Sangrur, and Fatehgarh Sahib.
With the nomination process for the Lok Sabha elections scheduled in Punjab on June 1 commencing on Tuesday, the BJP is yet to declare candidates for four Lok Sabha seats, giving anxious moments for ticket aspirants.
While the party has declared candidates for nine out of 13 seats, it’s yet to come out with the nominees for Anandpur Sahib, Ferozepur, Sangrur, and Fatehgarh Sahib.
The BJP in March announced that it will contest all 13 LS seats in Punjab on its own, ending weeks-long speculation about the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)’s return to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and setting the stage for a four-cornered fight in the state. This will be the first time since 1996 that the BJP and the SAD, one of the oldest constituents of the NDA, which parted ways over the 2020-21 farm law protests, will be fighting the Lok Sabha polls alone in the state.
While the first list was released in March itself, its second list naming three candidates came on April 16, but “deliberations for the remaining four seats are still on,” said a senior BJP leader in the state, pleading anonymity.
For the nine seats, the BJP on Sunday asked its nominees to file nominations on May 10 (Akshaya Tritiya).
“With nominations already underway and only about 25 days left for the polls, covering the Lok Sabha segment in just 25 days will be a herculean task. We need time to interact with voters,” said a ticket aspirant from Ferozepur, who didn’t wish to be named.
An above-quoted senior BJP leader said various permutations and combinations are being considered at a high level before ticket allotment.
“For instance, there are speculations on the Anandpur Sahib seat that a senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader and a prominent realtor of the tricity are willing to join the saffron fold if the party considers them as candidates. So all this delaying the announcement,” the leader said.
Despite repeated attempts, Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar was not available for comments.
