 "BJP to contest 65 seats in Punjab, ally Amarinder's party to contest 37")
The BJP in Punjab will contest on 65 assembly seats, the Punjab Lok Congress on 37 seats and the SAD (Sanyukt) on 17 seats, BJP chief J P Nadda said on Monday as he announced the seat-sharing agreement between his party and its allies for the February 20 state polls.
Nadda said Punjab is a border state and security is a very important issue as far as assembly elections are concerned.
Hailing Punjab as a "leader", especially in defence and food security of the country, he said, "Today Punjab needs special attention, it needs a double engine government and a better coordination between the Centre and the state." Nadda announced the seat-sharing agreement at a press conference here at the BJP headquarters in the presence of Punjab Lok Congress supremo Amarinder Singh and Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa.
"I am announcing a broader seat sharing agreement, BJP will contest on 65 seats, PLC on 37 seats and SAD (Sanyukt) on 15 seats," Nadda said.
After the press conference, a BJP delegation led by Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat met Election Commission of India officials to complain against Sidhu's principal strategic advisor Mohammad Mustafa for allegedly making communal remarks at a public meeting in Malerkotla.
The former Punjab DGP has been booked for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race and other identity markers to score gains in election. The FIR came a day after a video showing him making the alleged remarks was circulated on social media.
We have urged the ECI to act against Mustafa for giving a provocative speech in Malerkotla on January 20, Shekhawat said.
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Addressing the conference, Singh said for the sake of national security and welfare of the state, all three parties have come together.
Expressing concern about the threat to the "hard earned" peace of Punjab, Singh said a large number of weapons for carrying out nefarious activities are coming into Punjab.
"During the course of my last four-and-half-years as Punjab chief minister, at least 1,000 rifles, 500 pistols, RDX, lakhs of rounds of ammunition were caught at the borders. The weapons were also dropped using drones... They were meant for carrying out some nefarious activity," Singh said.
Taking on his bete-noire and Congress' Punjab unit chief Navjot Sidhu, Singh said, "Our bravehearts are fighting Pakistan at the borders. Yet, Sidhu wants to hug it out with the enemy." Singh was referring to Sidhu hugging Pakistan Army Chief General Bajwa during the oath taking ceremony of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
After resigning from Punjab chief ministership, Singh quit the Congress and floated his own party Punjab Lok Congress and forged alliance with the BJP and SAD (Sanyukt).
The BJP's is paying the role of senior partner in the alliance in Punjab, where it had always played second fiddle in its more than two-decade long alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal.
Elections for 117 seats in Punjab will be held in single phase on February 20. Punjab is likely to see a five-cornered contest this election between the farmers' political outfit, the BJP and its allies, Congress, AAP and SAD.