BJP declares Swaran Singh Salariya as its candidate for Gurdaspur bypoll

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 21

Retaining the Gurdaspur seat is critical for BJP’s future plans in Punjab and the party has chosen industrialist Swaran Singh Salaria for the constituency which fell vacant following the death of sitting party MP actor-turned-politician Vinod Khanna.

Sources claim Khanna’s wife Kavita was also in the reckoning for the seat along with “some other BJP men”, but ultimately the “winnability and “resourceful” factor prevailed over the “sentimental” factor.

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Given that the Congress had nominated its Punjab president Sunil Jakhar for the seat, it was important that the BJP goes with someone who could give him a tough bout.

The Congress claims the Gurdaspur result will be a “referendum on the BJP’s three-year misrule at the Centre” while the BJP believes it to be a challenge for the Capt Amarinder Singh-led government to prove itself in a “real time (electoral) battleground”.

Providing the third corner to these very interesting elections, which will also be a statement on AAP’s future in the state, is ex-Army man Maj Gen Suresh Khajuriya.

A native of Chauhana village in Gurdaspur, Salaria has business interests in hospitality, aviation and other sectors.

While names of several Bollywood actors were doing the rounds along with longstanding BJP leaders for the seat, senior leaders in as early as May had told The Tribune that the bypoll candidate will be someone from the party and who has the support of the “sangathan” (organisation).

Meanwhile, it seems that apart from political standing of individual candidates, a whole lot of “spiritual” intervention also went into the final decision.

While Kavita Khanna was being “supported” by Sri Sri Ravishankar, yoga guru Ramdev was said to be pitching for Salaria, who in 2014 had also tried “very hard” for the constituency but lost to Vinod Khanna.

While at that time also Ramdev was batting for Salaria, it took BJP veteran LK Advani to ensure that Vinod Khanna gets the ticket.

With Advani no longer a part of active decision making, this time Shah took the call after going through the “inputs of the ground situation”.