For the crucial February 20 Punjab elections, the saffron party is relying on its national leadership, Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, and recently-inducted prominent Sikh faces for its “star campaigning”, along with the “stars”.
Right from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party’s national president JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, to Punjab police’s former top cops SS Virk and PS Gill, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has named them all in its list of 30 star campaigners.
Besides BJP’s top bosses, those “stars”, who will land in Punjab to give an impetus to the poll campaign of BJP-led combine, includes the party’s titans and a crew of party chief ministers, with some at the helm.
BJP, this time, is contesting Punjab polls in alliance with Capt Amarinder Singh led Punjab Lok Congress (PLC), and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt), having a major share of seats in its kitty. While BJP is contesting on 65 seats, PLC had fielded its candidates on 37, and SAD Sanyukt on 15.
Apart from 11 Union Ministers, the BJP’s star campaigners for Punjab polls also include the Chief Ministers of the neighbouring states of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, Jai Ram Thakur and Manohar Lal Khattar, respectively.
The Bollywood stars, who are the BJP members, will also spice up the electioneering in the state. Making the campaigning star-studded, the celluloid personalities including Bollywood yesteryears ‘dream girl’ Hema Malini, small screen’s bahu and Union Minister Smriti Irani, Punjabi Sufi singer Hans Raj Hans, and Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tewari, and Bollywood’s action hero and Gurdaspur MP Sunny Deol will add glamour to the poll campaigning.
The heavyweights, putting their weight behind the combine's candidates, include the Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Anurag Thakur, Meenakshi Lekhi, along with Gajendra Singh Shekhawat — who is also Punjab party affair’s in-charge of elections, and Som Parkash—MP from Punjab’s Hoshiarpur seat. BJP’s Sikh faces include Union Minister Hardeep Puri, Nirdharak Singh Brar, and Punjab police’s two former Director Generals of Police SS Virk, and PS Gill.
“The party has submitted its list of star campaigners with the state election commission for mandatory approval. The list includes names of party’s central leaders and from the state. They will address rallies and public meetings across the state, campaigning not only for the BJP candidates but also that of the coalition partners, PLC and SAD Sanyukt,” a senior BJP leader told The Pioneer.
Other key campaigners include BJP’s national general secretary and state in-charge Dushyant Gautam, national general secretary Tarun Chugh. It also include senior leaders from other states — BJP MP from Kutch Vinod Chavda, Haryana leader and party veteran Saudan Singh. Notably, Singh was given organizational responsibilities in Punjab and its neighboring states, increasing party’s Dalit outreach, amidst farmers’ protests the previous year.
BJP’s senior leader in Punjab Harjit Singh Grewal, who was denied party ticket, has made it to the list of star campaigners. Notably, Grewal played a role in mediating between the Union Government and the farmers over the issue of the Centre’s three controversial farm laws. During this time, Grewal had faced farmers’ ire because of his controversial statements against the agitating farmers.
The name of the party’s state president Ashwani Sharma along with former state chiefs — Avinash Rai Khanna and Shwait Malik — have also been included in the list.