CHANDIGARH: Vinod Khanna, the yesteryear Bollywood superstar and a four time Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur constituency (SAD-BJP) in Punjab passed away in a Mumbai hospital on Thursday. With his demise, the ticket contenders from both SAD-BJP and Congress have already started flexing their muscles as a byelection is imminent in the constituency now.
As the news of his death reached the constituency, ticket contenders started readying themselves for the polls. Sources say a byelection is imminent in the constituency as the next general election is set to take place only in 2019.
The prospective candidates from both Congress and SAD-BJP are reportedly discussing their chances of getting the party ticket currently.
Ever since he was admitted to the hospital after having been diagnosed with bladder cancer, some senior BJP leaders had started making the rounds to the party high command to lay claim on ticket. Mumbai-based industrialist Swaran Salaria, who had tried for a ticket last time, is a said to be strong contender. Kavita, wife of Khanna is also said to be close to the senior party leaders.
In saffron party circles, Khanna had earned the sobriquet of being LK Advani’s Man Friday and senior leaders would envy his relationship with the BJP strongman.
Two months into his fourth term, Khanna fell ill following which he could no longer visit his constituency as regularly as he had during his previous terms. Last time he had visited Gurdaspur constituency in February 2016.
Khanna had been elected from this border constituency in 1998, then 1999, 2004 and 2014. In 2009, he was defeated by the then Punjab Congress president Bajwa. Taking advantage of the Modi-wave and his fan-following, Khanna won this seat again in 2014 by defeating the sitting MP Bajwa.
With 14.72 lakh voters, Gurdaspur constituency has nine Assembly segments — Pathankot, Dina Nagar, Qadian, Batala, Fatehgarh Churian, Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur, Sujanpur and Bhoa.
In the run-up to the last parliamentary polls, he had purchased a house on Sally road in Pathankot. His office functioned from within the precincts of his double-storey residence.
The people of the Gurdaspur constituency will remember Khanna for his initiatives in constructing two strategically vital bridges on the Beas and Ujh rivers providing easy connectivity from this border area to other parts of the State.
Meanwhile, the state executive meeting of Punjab unit of BJP, which was scheduled for April 30, has been postponed and now it will be held on May 14.