BJP to open state office in Jalandhar's Maqsudan today

Tribune News Service

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, April 9

Even as four political parties - Aam Aadmi Party, Shiromani Akali Dal, Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party - are yet to announce the names of their LS candidates, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken a lead among all and is even set to open its state office at a resort in Maqsudan here tomorrow.

With the BSP also in the reckoning, the Jalandhar (reserved) Parliamentary seat is expected to see a five-cornered contest.

The state leadership is expected to be here tomorrow as the party has decided to hold a ‘havan’ and Sukhmani Sahib path at Vijay Resorts where the party has booked two banquet halls for the next two months for holding all big party activities and media interactions.

District president of the BJP Sushil Sharma said: “We are still not sure if state president Sunil Jakhar will be able to make it tomorrow as he is to attend a meeting in Chandigarh. But all senior leadership in Jalandhar has been entrusted with the task to start the functioning of the office tomorrow”.

The party candidate and sitting MP Sushil Rinku, who had switched to the saffron party from AAP, has been holding meetings with the party workers in various Assembly segments daily. Today, he held meetings for Jalandhar North and Adampur. Rinku had already been announced as the AAP candidate when he chose to move to BJP, creating a void there.

The AAP is yet to finalise its new candidate. Party MLAs and halqa in charges were today called to Chandigarh for a meeting with the CM.

“No discussion on candidate could be held today. The CM has left for Assam and we expect that the decision may take at least two-three more days,” said a senior party leader, who stated that minister Balkar Singh was no longer among the probables. The youth leaders of the party today took out a bike rally against the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in the Jalandhar North Assembly seat.

Even as Jalandhar had witnessed Lok Sabha bypoll even last year, the political parties have yet not been able to finalise their candidates as none is expected to repeat any of its 2023 candidates. The SAD too is yet to finalise its candidate as Dr Sukhwinder Sukhi, Banga MLA who had contested last year, is reluctant to recontest.

The Congress too is planning to replace Chaudhary family with ex-CM Charanjit Channi, but a formal announcement is expected by April 12-13. The party is trying to quell the rebellion being shown by Phillaur MLA and son of deceased MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh. The BSP too is yet to name its candidate even as Balwinder Kumar remains to be the frontrunner. The party had contested in 2023 in alliance with the SAD.

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