The saffron brigade in Punjab has set the ball rolling for the impending by-elections in the state with the party’s state leadership putting its heads together on Wednesday to chalk out the strategy for the same.
The political temperature in Punjab is set to rise in the days to come as four assembly constituencies — Jalalabad, Phagwara, Mukerian, and Dakha — are lying vacant. Out of these, BJP contests two seats as per arrangement under the coalition with the Shiromani Akali Dal.
The BJP core committee, in its meeting chaired by the party’s state affairs’ in-charge Prabhat Jha on Wednesday, discussed in detail the strategy for the byelections, and the possible candidates.
Other than the state unit chief Shwait Malik, and other senior office bearers, the Union Minister of State Som Prakash, who was Phagwara MLA, also attended the meeting.
Amidst reports of BJP planning to go alone in Punjab, the saffron party decided to contest the by-elections in alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). “BJP-SAD alliance would win all the four assembly seats in the upcoming by-election,” claimed Malik, after the meeting.
As per the coalition arrangement, SAD would contest from Jalalabad and Dakha, while BJP would field its candidates from Phagwara and Mukerian.
After SAD president Sukhbir Badal and Som Parkash’s election to the Lok Sabha, the Jalalabad and Phagwara segments, respectively, fell vacant. Mukerian seat fall vacant after the sitting MLA and Congress leader Rajneesh Kumar Babbi passed away past month.
Bypolls necessitated in Dakha assembly constituency as Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana KP Singh accepted the resignation by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA HS Phoolka.
The state may witness more by-elections as two sitting AAP MLAs — Nazar Singh Mansahia and Amarjit Singh Sandoa — have joined the Congress ahead 2019 Lok Sabha elections, while other two AAP legislators — Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Master Baldev Singh — have floated a new outfit (Punjab Ekta Party) and resigned as Vidhan
Sabha member. However, the Speaker is yet to take a call on the same.
It is believed that the Election Commission would announce the dates for bypolls in Punjab along with the dates for Haryana assembly elections. It has been learnt that the poll panel would made the announcement this week only.
Maintaining that the party is geared up, Malik said that the party has already surpassed the membership target of two lakhs. “In the party’s membership drive, the state unit was given the target of two lakh members, but the party has already registered record seven lakh members,” he said adding that the response of the masses during membership drive was overwhelming.
Malik criticised the Congress-led Punjab Government for its failure to fulfil its pre-polls promises, saying that it has “betrayed” the people of the State.
Further taking on the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh for appointing OSD and Political Advisors, Malik said that it would put extra burden on the state’s exchequer. He also accused the Capt Amarinder of failing to control the drug and sand mafia in the State.
Som Prakash, after the meeting, said that the Punjab Government has levied development tax on the state employees whereas there was “no development” in the State.
At the same time, he demanded that Punjab Government should issue white paper for its failure on every front. He accused the Punjab Government of not implementing the central schemes, which could be beneficial for the people of the State.
