CHANDIGARH: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced its candidates for the assembly bypolls in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
The saffron party announced its candidates for Phagwara and Mukerain seats in Punjab and Dharamsala and Pachhad assembly seats in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh. Rajesh Bagga will be fielded from the reserved seat of Phagwara as he is close to the RSS and Jangi Lal Mahajan from Mukerian. Union Minister of state for commerce and industry Som Parkash, was elected from Hoshiarpur Lok sabha seat and thus the Phagwara assembly seat fell vacant as he was the sitting MLA.
A former IAS officer Parkash has demanded ticket for his wife Anita which was turned down by the party. The Mukerian assembly seat fell vacant after sitting Congress MLA Rajnish Kumar Babbi died last month.
The other two seats in Punjab, which are going to by-elections, are Jalalabad and Dakha. Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal vacated Jalalabad seat as he was elected Member of Parliament from Ferozepur and Dakha fell vacant as senior supreme court lawyer and AAP legislator HS Phoolka resigned. On these two seats, Akali Dal will fight. The SAD has already announced its candidates on both these seats Manpreet Singh Ayali from Dakha, and Raj Singh Dibbipura from Jalalabad.
In the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh, the BJP has fielded Vishal Kehriya from Dharamsala and Reena Kashyap from the reserved seat of Pacchad in Sirmaur district. Both seats fell vacant after sitting MLAs Kishan Kapoor from Dharamsala and Suresh Kashyap from Pachhad were elected as Member of Parliament in the recent Lok Sabha elections.