A day after his name was announced as the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for the Salt assembly by-election, Mahesh Jeena filed his nomination on Tuesday.The BJP candidate who is the elder brother of the late sitting MLA from Salt, Surendra Singh Jeena, filed his nomination in the presence of BJP state president Madan Kaushik, cabinet ministers Yashpal Arya, Bishan Singh Chufal, state minister Dhan Singh Rawat, MPs Ajay Bhatt, Ajay Tamta and other office bearers of the BJP.

Speaking on the occasion, Kaushik said that the bypoll is unfortunate as it is a result of the demise of the sitting MLA. A soldier of the BJP, the late Jeena undertook considerable work for the development of the constituency. In order to ensure that the pace of the development is continued, the BJP made his elder brother Mahesh Jeena the party candidate.

Addressing a public gathering in the constituency, Kaushik exhorted the public to ensure Mahesh Jeena’s victory by a substantial margin to enable completion of the works started by his late brother. He recalled, “When I was the Parliamentary Affairs minister, I asked the late MLA why he was so swift in questioning the government despite being an MLA of the ruling party. He told me to not hold him back as he was answerable to the people of Salt and that his voice would loudly raise their issues in front of the government.”

The BJP state president further said that the BJP had prepared a proper outline for development in the state. A network of roads has been laid in the state while better works have been done in the spheres of drinking water, health, education and employment.

He further said that he is not counting the development works done by the late MLA because these are visible on the ground. To carry these works forward, the BJP had fielded his brother Mahesh Jeena in the by-election, said Kaushik.