PM Modi, Shah, Nadda, Yogi to boost BJP's campaign in Punjab
Chandigarh: To ramp up BJP’s electoral presence in Punjab, the saffron party on Monday announced the deployment of heavyweight campaigners including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, national president JP Nadda, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, among 40 others. Aiming to bolster the prospects of its candidates contesting in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Punjab, senior BJP leader Vijay Sampla, who has been vocal about his dissatisfaction over not receiving a ticket from Hoshiarpur, also found a place in the list of star campaigners.
Alongside, prominent figures from neighbouring state Haryana, including Chief Minister nayab Singh Saini, his predecessor Manohar Lal Khattar; and Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, and Anurag Thakur, feature prominently. These star campaigners will traverse the state in the coming days, rallying support for the party's candidates. The lineup includes BJP stalwarts like state BJP president Sunil Jakhar, Hema Malini, Smriti Irani, Manoj Tiwari, Dinesh Lal Yadav (Nirahua), Preeti Sapru, and Manthiri Srinivasulu.
Additionally, the list includes Saudan Singh, Tarun Chugh, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Hardeep Puri, Som Prakash, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Dr Jitendra Singh, Vijay Rupani, Narendra Singh Raina, Capt Amarinder Singh, Manoranjan Kalia, Charanjit Singh Atwal, Ashwani Sharma, Avinash Rai Khanna, Harjeet Singh Grewal, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Shwet Malik, Kewal Singh Dhillon, Jangi Lal Mahajan, Manpreet Singh Badal, Fatehjang Singh Bajwa, and Ashwani Sekhri.
Kejriwal, wife Sunita, ‘jailed’ Sisodia among AAP's star campaigners for Punjab
Chandigarh: Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, his wife Sunita Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, along with its two jailed leaders — Delhi’s former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and former Minister Satyendar Jain — will be the Aam Aadmi Party’s star campaigners in Punjab for the June 1 Lok Sabha elections.
While Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam, is currently out on bail till June 1, Sisodia and Jain are behind bars.
Among the 40 start campaigners are party’s Rajya Sabha MPs Sanjay Singh; Raghav Chadha – who is currently abroad for eye treatment; Sandeep Pathak – party's national general secretary; Delhi Cabinet Ministers — Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Gopal Rai, and Kailash Gahlot.
The list also included the names of Punjab Cabinet Ministers Harpal Singh Cheema, Aman Arora, Anmol Gagan Mann, Chetan Singh Jauramajra, Bram Shanker Jimpa, Harjot Singh Bains, Balkar Singh, Harbhajan Singh ETO, Baljit Kaur, and Lal Chand Kataruchak. The remaining five Ministers, who are contesting elections, are not party’s star campaigners.
Besides, Punjab MLAs Principal Budhram, Prof Baljinder Kaur, Kulwant Singh Pandori, Saravjit Kaur Manuke, Inderbir Singh Nijjar, Jagdeep Singh Goldy Kamboj, and Dinesh Chadha are also AAP’s start campaigners.
Punjab BJP leader Swaran Salaria joins AAP
Chandigarh: Upset over denial of ticket from the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat, the businessman-turned-politician and senior BJP leader Swaran Salaria on Monday joined the ruling AAP. Notably, Salaria, after the BJP fielded former MLA Dinesh Babbu from Gurdaspur the previous month, had raised a banner of revolt. An aspirant for the party ticket from the constituency, Salaria has unsuccessfully contested the 2017 bypoll from Gurdaspur seat on a BJP ticket following the death of the then MP Vinod Khanna. Polling more than three lakh votes, Salaria was defeated by the Congress’ Sunil Jakhar, who is now the Punjab BJP president. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann welcomed Salaria into the party fold.
Meanwhile, Nitin Nanda — the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance candidate from Anandpur in the 2022 assembly elections — also joined AAP.
