BJP releases first list of 34 candidates for Punjab polls
CHANDIGARH: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released the first list of 34 candidates, including 13 Sikhs, for the Punjab assembly elections on Friday. Party general secretary Tarun Chugh said at a joint press conference here that 12 candidates in the list are from farmer families, eight tickets have been given to members from the Dalit community, and 13 candidates are from the Sikh community. “Tickets have been given to 12 candidates who belong to farmers’ families, 8 tickets to members of the SC community, 13 tickets to Sikhs. The list has doctors, lawyers, sportspersons, farmers, youth, women, and former IAS,” Chugh said. The candidates are: Dinesh Babbu from Sujanpur, Renu Kashyap from Dinanagar, Baljinder Singh Dakoha from Hargobindpur, Sukhminder Singh Pintu from Amritsar North, Navreet Singh Shafeepura Tarn Taran, Ranjit Singh Khojewala from Kapurthala, Mahinder Pal Bhagat from Jalandhar West, Manoranjan Kalia from Jalandhar Central, KD Bhandari from Jalandhar North, Jangi Lal Mahajan from Mukerian, Raghunath Rana from Dasuya, Tikshan Sud from Hoshiarpur, Dr Dilbag Rai from Chabbewal and Nimisha Mehta from Garshankar, Kanwar Singh Tohra, who is former SGPC chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra’s grandson, from Amloh, Bikramjeet Singh Sidhu from Ludhiana West, former IAS officer SR Ladhar from Gill in Ludhiana district, former minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi from Ferozepur, former minister Surjit Jyani from Fazilka, former Congress MLA Arvind Khanna from Sangrur and Sanjeev Khanna from Dera Bassi. The BJP is contesting the February 20 elections for the 117-seat Punjab assembly in alliance with the Captain Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress and the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt). The BJP has fielded Arvind Khanna from Sangrur, Manoranjan Kalia from Jalandhar Central and Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi from Ferozepur City. Speaking on the occasion, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri slammed the Congress government in the state and said Punjab was the nation’s pride but things have taken a turn for the worse there. Assembly elections will be held in the state on February 20.