BJP fields candidates on most seats despite farmers’ backlash
CHANDIGARH: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded candidates from majority of the seats in nearly all major municipalities, including eight corporations, for the forthcoming civic body elections in Punjab despite an unprecedented backlash from the farmers protesting against the Centre’s three contentious agriculture laws.
Of a total of 401 wards in the eight municipal corporations of Mohali, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Batala, Moga, Kapurthala and Abohar that are going to the polls, the saffron party has fielded candidates from as many as 351 seats.
The party fielded nominees on all 50 seats in its traditional strongholds of Pathankot, Abohar and Hoshiarpur corporations. In the corporations where its erstwhile alliance partner Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) dominated the poll scene, the party has fielded 43 each in Batala and Bathinda, 30 in Moga, 37 in Kapurthala, and 49 in Mohali. All these civic bodies have 50
wards each.
The BJP had contested 19, 14 and 15 seats in Bathinda, Mohali and Moga, respectively, in the last election.
In its other traditional strongholds of Sujanpur, Dinanagar, Dasua and Mukerian, Rajpura, and Nangal, the party has managed to field candidates from all wards. In other towns where the
party has made its presence felt are Zirakpur (28 of 31 seats), Kharar (all 27 seats), Ajnala (all 15 seats), Barnala (14 of 31 seats), Dera Bassi (15 of 19 seats), Fatehgarh Churian (8 of 13 seats), Fazilka (23 of 25 seats), Sirhind (15 of 23 seats), Ferozepur (24 of 33 seats), Gurdaspur (28 of 29 seats), Jalalabad (13 of 17 seats), Khanna (33 of 31 seats), Muktsar (22 of 31 seats), Nabha (22 of 23 seats), Nawanshahr (19 of 19 seats) and Sunam (17 of 23 seats). Not only this, the party candidates are in the fray in many prominent urban bodies of the Malwa region which has emerged as the epicentre of the farmers’ protests.
“We are trying to make inroads in areas where the party had no traditional base. We are contesting on all maximum seats in Malout (21), Muktsar (21) and Gidderbaha (9). Elections are being held on party symbol,” said party’s state general secretary Subhash Sharma.
4 Muslim candidates withdraw at last minute in Malerkotla
In Punjab’s only Muslim-dominated town of Malerkotla, the party’s six candidates from the community filed their nominations against a total of 15 seats. However, four of the candidates withdrew their nomination at the last minute due to pressure from leaders of other parties, said Sangrur district BJP chief Randeep Deol, a young-Sikh face of the party.