Sukhbir may take up seat-swapping issue with Amit Shah
We are better placed in Hoshiarpur because there are six rural assembly constituencies and in Jalandhar there three rural assembly seats.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is keen on swapping Jalandhar parliamentary seat with its alliance partner BJP in lieu of Hoshiarpur seat that the latter represents. But BJP seems not very keen on the arrangement, especially when Union minister of state Vijay Sampla, the sitting Hoshiarpur MP, has already opened his election office in the constituency.
Sources said Sukhbir is expected to take up the matter with BJP chief Amit Shah before the latter arrives in Amritsar on February 24. Both seats are reserved for candidates from Scheduled Castes.
Last month, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on his visit to Amritsar had said talks were on with the BJP over swapping Amritsar and Hoshiarpur with Ludhiana and Jalandhar parliamentary seats. A year ago, Sampla was also keen on changing the constituency but party insiders say he is now okay with the segment he represents.
State BJP president Shwait Malik said taking a decision on the issue was the prerogative of national president Amit Shah. He said the matter was never discussed in the Saturday’s coordination committee meeting between the BJP and the SAD leaders.
In the meeting, SAD president had suggested Sampla to contest from Jalandhar, saying both parties will have better prospects if the two seats are swapped.
“We are strong in Hoshiarpur having formidable faces such as Mohinder Kaur Josh, Des Raj Dhugga and Sohan Singh Thandal,” said SAD spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema. Though he refused to accept that SAD lacked a strong candidate from Jalandhar.
“We are better placed in Hoshiarpur because there are six rural assembly constituencies and in Jalandhar there three rural assembly seats,” Cheema said. An Akali leader on anonymity said the seat-swapping issue will be taken up with the BJP’s central leadership.
Speaking about the meeting, Malik said it was decided to run a joint campaign and focus on highlighting the work done during the five years of Narendra Modi government.
DALJIT SINGH CHEEMA, SAD leader