Kavita Khanna refutes reports of contesting Lok Sabha election as Independent

Talking to HT over phone, Kavita Khanna, the wife of former Gurdaspur MP Vinod Khanna, said she will decide her future course of action after consulting her children. The BJP has fielded film star Sunny Deol from Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency.

Gurdaspur’s four-time MP Vinod Khanna’s widow Kavita Khanna on Wednesday denied media reports that she has announced to contest as an independent candidate from the constituency.

Vinod Khanna's wife Kavita Khanna was one of the front-runners seeking the BJP ticket from Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

Talking to HT over phone, Kavita said she will decide her future course of action after consulting her children. The BJP has fielded film star Sunny Deol from Gurdaspur.

Kavita was one of the front-runners seeking the BJP ticket from Gurdaspur. She had reportedly hoped that after Vinod Khanna’s death in 2017, she would be given the party ticket in the Gurdaspur bypoll in 2017, but the party then preferred Mumbai-based businessman Swaran Salaria, who was defeated by Congress’s Sunil Jakhar by a big margin of 1.93 lakh votes.

Kavita remained active in the constituency, hoping that she will get the party ticket in 2019 polls.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the ‘Dhanwad Rally’ in Gurdaspur on January 3, had also hailed late Vinod Khanna’s work in the parliamentary constituency, which may have also raised Kavita Khanna’s hopes for a ticket.

Salaria upset

Meanwhile, Salaria is also upset over the party’s decision to field Deol, a parachute candidate, from Gurdaspur.

Talking to HT over phone, Salaria said he will hold a press conference here on April 27 to announce his future course of action.

Salaria, who hails from Chohana village in Pathankot district, which is part of Gurdaspur constituency, has been active in the area in the hope of getting the party ticket.