Punjab: BJP’s Salaria revolts against party, says will contest LS polls from Gurdaspur

Chandigarh, Apr 8 (PTI) BJP leader Swaran Salaria on Monday declared that he will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Gurdaspur, where his party has already announced a candidate.

He also ruled out contesting as an Independent and said he will fight on the symbol of a “good party”.

“It will be clear by April 13. It will be a good and winning party,” Salaria said.

Salaria, who had contested the 2017 bypoll from Gurdaspur on a BJP ticket following the death of MP and actor Vinod Khanna, lost to the Congress’ Sunil Jakhar.

Jakhar is now the BJP’s Punjab chief.

“I have been working in the constituency for the past many years. People in my area are saying that they will ensure my victory,” he asserted.

“I guarantee that I will win by a margin of over 2.50 lakh votes,” he said.

The saffron party has nominated former MLA Dinesh Babbu from the constituency — currently represented by the BJP’s Sunny Deol. Babbu is a former three-time MLA from Sujanpur in Pathankot.

Salaria, however, said he has no grouse against the BJP for not nominating him. “I did not demand the ticket from the BJP. To whomsoever they have given the ticket, good luck to him,” he said.

Khanna’s wife Kavita Khanna was also an aspirant from Gurdaspur. The BJP is contesting the Lok Sabha polls independently in Punjab for the first time since 1996 after the Shiromani Akali Dal walked out of the NDA in 2020 over the now-repealed farm laws.

Gurdaspur was a Congress bastion before Khanna won from the seat in 1998, defeating the grand old party’s five-time MP Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder.

He also registered victories in 1999, 2004 and 2014. In 2009, Khanna lost to the Congress’ Partap Singh Bajwa.