Chandigarh/ Punjab (April 08, 2014): According to media reports the Punjab BJP continues to be a divided house. The Hindutva party is contesting three Lok Sabha seats in the state in alliance with it’s ruling ally Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal).
The saffron party is grappling with dissidence in Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur. “The dissent can only help the Congress”, The Tribune (TT) has noted.
In Amritsar, BJP candidate Arun Jaitley is facing not just a formidable opponent in the former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh but is finding hard to explain the absence of party’s sitting MP Navjot Singh Sidhu from canvassing.
Navjot Sidhu, sitting MP had been insisting to contest from Amritsar seat but his ‘bitter relations’ with the SAD (Badal) leaders cost him BJP ticket. Badal Dal leaders persuaded BJP to field their heavyweight Arun Jaitly from Amritsar seat.
Sarwan Salaria, a prominent businessman who has worked the Gurdaspur constituency for two years, has reportedly decided to contest as an Independent.
Supported by Swami Ramdev, Sarwan Salaria hoped for the BJP ticket. But the party chose to field film star Vinod Khanna, who has represented Gurdaspur thrice — 1997, 1999 and 2004.
According to The Tribune (TT): [i]f Salaria revolts and enters the fray as an Independent, it could mean trouble for Vinod Khanna as it may benefit Khanna’s rival PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa.
In Hoshiarpur, though BJP candidate Vijay Sampla enjoys the support of Badal Dal MLAs, a group of BJP leaders led by a former MLA is reportedly working against him.
In Amritsar, BJP’s third candidate in Punjab Arun Jaitley is depending on the might of the Badal-BJP government to help him sail through. Besides grappling with the absence of BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu from campaign, Jaitley is also feeling the heat of lack of development in Amritsar, the reason for Sidhu to be cut up with the Badal Dal.
His saving grace seems to be a show of unity in the BJP rank and file of Amritsar and more importantly the handling of his campaign by two top ministers — Bikram Singh Majithia and Anil Joshi.