The BJP on Thursday released its second list of 27 candidates for the February 20 Punjab Assembly elections giving tickets to two sitting MLAs, who had recently quit the Congress and joined the party, and National Commission for Scheduled Caste chairman Vijay Sampla. Later, the BJP released another list of three names. With this, the party has released names for 64 of the 65 seats is contesting in alliance with former chief minister Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt). The BJP has fielded Sampla, a former union minister, from Phagwara. Interestingly, till 2019, Phagwara was represented by Som Parkash who was given the ticket from Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat in the general elections by dropping Sampla, who, at the time, was a Union Minister of State. In a turn of fate now, Sampla will fight Assembly polls from Som Parkash’s erstwhile constituency. Som Parkash is a now Union Minister of State in the Narendra Modi-led Cabinet. The party has also given ticket to Iqbal Singh Lalpura who is the chairman of National Commission of Minorities. A former police officer, Lalpura will contest from Ropar. Two sitting Congress MLAs, who jumped ship recently, have also been given tickets. Fateh Jung Bajwa, the younger brother of Congress Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa, has been fielded from Batala. Fateh Jung is currently an MLA from Qadian and his elder brother is the Congress candidate from there this time. Harjot Kamal, the sitting MLA from Moga who was denied ticket by the Congress in favour of Malvika Sood, the sister of actor Sonu Sood, has been fielded from his constituency. The BJP has named Rakesh Dhingra from Lambi, the seat from where SAD patron and former CM Parkash Singh Badal will be contesting. It has named Randeep Singh Deol to take on AAP's chief ministerial face Bhagwant Mann from Dhuri. From Chamkaur Sahib, the BJP has fielded Darshan Singh Shivjot. Chamkaur Sahib is currently represented by Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. Former Akali MLA Sarabjit Singh Makkar has been given ticket from Jalandhar Cantt. Makkar had joined the BJP after the Shiromani Akali Dal denied him the ticket from Jalandhar Cantt. From Bhoa, near Pathankot, the party has given ticket to Seema Kumari while from Gurdaspur, it has fielded Parminder Singh Gill. From Mohali and Ludhiana North seats, Sanjiv Vashishth and Parveen Bansal have been given tickets, respectively. In its third list released late in the evening, party named Dr Ram Chawla from Amritsar Central and Manjit Singh Manna from Baba Bakala (SC). It also named Dr Jagmohan Singh Raju, a former IAS officer, from Amritsar East, the seat, which is set for a high voltage battle with state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu being pitted against Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia.
