CHANDIGARH: The BJP on Thursday formally announced a list of 17 candidates for the Punjab
Assembly polls. Meanwhile, Rajender Mohan Chhina has been fielded for the Amritsar Lok Sabha bypoll.
Of the 23 Assembly seats it contests, the party has declared the candidates for 17 constituencies.
Meanwhile, the Congress on Thursday released another list of 23 candidates for the Punjab Assembly elections banking mostly on old-timers and kin of top state leaders, bringing the total to 100 out of
117 seats in Punjab.
In the third list released by the Congress with winnability as the sole criteria and 'one-family-one-ticket rule', the suspense on cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu continued as Amritsar (East) did not figure in the list.
Also, since the model code of conduct came into force in Punjab, the enforcement teams have seized drugs and cash amounting to Rs 67.91 crore. Also, deposits in benami bank accounts is being monitored
by income tax authorities. The Election Commission on Thursday directed that statutory function of these boards not to be discharged by political functionaries.
The BJP has fielded Dinesh Singh Babbu from Sujanpur, Ashwini Sharma from Pathankot, BD Dhuppar from Dinanagar (Reserved), Seema Kumari from Bhoa (Reserved), Arunesh Kumar from Mukerian, Sukhjit Kaur Shahi from Dasuya, Tikshan Sud from Hoshiarpur, KD, Bhandari from Jalandhar (North), Tarun Chugh from Amritsar (Central), Rakesh Gill from Amritsar (West), Rajesh Honey from Amritsar (East), Gurdev Sharma Debi from Ludhiana (Central), Kamal Chelty from Ludhiana (West), Praveen Bansal from Ludhiana (North), Harjit Singh Grewal from Rajpura, Arun Narang from Abohar and Sukhpal Singh Nannu from Ferozepur Assembly Constituency. The second list of the remaining six candidates will be announced before January 15.
According to sources, the issue of seeking tickets for their sons by two BJP ministers Madan Mohan Mittal and Bhagat Chunni Lal was resolved following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directive that party leaders would not seek tickets for their families.
Sources added that Arun Jaitley was in favour of giving tickets to all sitting MLAs, including those whose names have been withheld.
The Congress Party has nominated Karmjit Kaur Chaudhary, wife of Jalandhar MP Santok Singh Chaudhary, from Phillaur (SC); while from Samana, it is Rajinder Singh, son of senior vice-president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), who has been chosen to fight on the party ticket. Former MP Mohinder Singh Kaypee will contest from Adampur.
Expressing satisfaction at the candidate selection, Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh said the remaining 17 seats would also be declared soon.