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Assignment list for Amit Shah rally revoked after infighting rocks Punjab BJP
The resentment over some of the appointments was so intense that the list, issued by the state BJP headquarters and shared on the party’s official handle, was deleted within half an hour.
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The BJP’s list of halqa in-charges, issued to allocate constituency-wise responsibilities ahead of Union home minister Amit Shah’s rally tentatively planned for the end of February, was withdrawn after strong opposition from sections within the party.
The resentment over some of the appointments was so intense that the list, issued by the state BJP headquarters and shared on the party’s official handle, was deleted within half an hour.
In most constituencies, the party named leaders, who had been nurturing the segments or had contested elections, were named; however, controversy arose in seats where two or three aspirants were in the fray, and only one was named as in-charge.
For instance, in the Batala seat, where former MLA Fateh Jung Bajwa had contested the 2022 assembly polls, the party appointed former minister Ashwani Sekhri as rally in-charge. Sekhri, who joined the BJP after leaving the Congress, is also eyeing a ticket from the seat. Further, as per the list, Fateh Jung Bajwa was named in charge of the Qadian seat, which is represented by his brother and the leader of opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa.
Similarly, in the Phagwara constituency, where former chairman of the national scheduled castes commission Vijay Sampla is the party face, the BJP appointed Rajesh Sachar as rally in-charge.
A senior party leader requesting anonymity said that the example of four seats in Jalandhar city best explains the controversy. On three seats—Jalandhar Central, Jalandhar North and Jalandhar West—the party named Manoranjan Kalia, KD Bhandari and Sheetal Angural, respectively, as rally in-charges. However, for Jalandhar Cantonment, the party preferred former MLA Jagbir Brar as in-charge, ignoring Sarabjeet Singh Makkar.
In Dera Bassi, the party gave responsibility for the rally to Harminder Jassi.
In Mohali, district president Sanjeev Vashisht, who has been nurturing the segment for long and had also contested the 2022 assembly polls, did not find a mention in the list.
Likewise, in the Kharar segment, Ranjit Singh Gill, who recently joined the BJP after leaving the Shiromani Akali Dal, was appointed rally in-charge, leaving several aspirants nurturing the seat—including state media in-charge Vineet Joshi and state secretary Kamaldeep Saini—high and dry. Saini was instead appointed in-charge for the Anandpur Sahib segment. Party state vice-president Subhash Sharma, who has been eyeing a ticket from the segment, was made in-charge for Dera Bassi. Sharma has been made incharge for Mohali segment.
“Pick and choose seems to have been done to upset a few constituencies. We conveyed our displeasure to the state BJP chief, after which the appointments were put in abeyance. If in 100 segments leaders nurturing a particular constituency were adjusted as in-charges for the rally, what was the need to disturb the rest of the segment?” said a leader affected by the decision, who didn’t wish to be named.
According to a senior BJP functionary, it is still not clear whether the list was cleared in consultation with state BJP president Sunil Jakhar, state working president Ashwani Sharma, and state organisation secretary Manthri Shrinivasullu.
Jakhar and Sharma were not available for comment despite repeated calls and messages.
Meanwhile, the party has decided to issue a fresh list within a day or two.
“The earlier list stands withdrawn as per instructions of the senior leadership. It has now been decided to appoint leaders from outside the segment as in-charges for the rallies,” said a senior party functionary, requesting anonymity.
