A good show by the party in Jalandhar could provide a much-needed boost in Punjab ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha elections. (Twitter/@BJP4Punjab)
While her demands like transfer of prisoners lodged in Assam’s Dibrugarh Jail to Punjab may be difficult for the party to handle, BJP sources say Bibi Jagir Kaur sharing dais with the top leadership and extending support is the right choice ahead of May. maybe 10 poll
The Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll on May 10 seems largely to be a straight fight between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress, but the BJP has created some buzz in its campaign by roping in some prominent political and religious leaders.
The BJP, which is contesting the bypolls in 2020 after the breakup of its alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal, is hoping to make inroads in the constituency and has pulled in star campaigners, including several Union ministers, for the campaign. Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur launched the campaign in Jalandhar on Saturday.
The party was helped when former Akali Dal leader and three-time SGPC president Jagir Kaur extended her support ahead of the bypoll. Participating in a party event on Friday, the sect leader presented a list of demands, adding that he saw the possibility of addressing these burning issues of Sikhs under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
While his demands, such as release of ‘Bandi Singh’, transfer of prisoners lodged in Dibrugarh jail to Punjab, may be difficult for the party to handle, BJP sources said Bibi Jagir Kaur has taken the stage with the party’s top leadership. Shared and extended support may be the right optics ahead of the May 10 vote.
The party’s Punjab in-charge and former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani had met Bibi Jagir Kaur a week ago, during which she reportedly raised these pre-conditions for extending support to the saffron party in Punjab.
He said, ‘Previous governments have rubbed salt on the wounds of Sikhs. Honorable Prime Minister can do great things. He can open the Kartarpur Corridor, he has taken the historic step of naming Veer Bal Diwas to remember the sacrifice of the little Sahibzads, he can open the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases and FIRs and punish the likes of Sajjan Kumar Could We can expect that he will also punish the rest of the people who have destroyed Sikhs,” Kaur said at the event.
The party has also managed to bring along Charanjit Singh Atwal, former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and former Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha, who resigned from the Akali Dal. He joined the BJP after his son Inder Iqbal Atwal joined the party and was declared its candidate for the Jalandhar bypoll.
Deputy Speaker of the 14th Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009, Atwal also served twice as Speaker of the Punjab Legislative Assembly. Charanjeet, who represents Phillaur constituency, was considered close to Badal.
The BJP has thrown in all its resources, including top central leaders like Hardeep Puri, who are practically camping in the constituency to oversee the campaign.
A good show by the party in Jalandhar could provide a much-needed boost in Punjab ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha elections.
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