New Delhi: Finding the Punjab terrain tough for the Assembly elections early next year, BJP president Amit Shah is likely to meet state leaders on Saturday to finalise the name of its next state unit president.
A section within the BJP’s Punjab unit wants the party to snap ties with ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) as they feel that the Prakash Singh Badal-led government faces a strong anti-incumbency factor which could also effect the saffron party’s poll prospects.
Congress stalwart and former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh is seen as the party’s CM candidate while the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP could also damage the SAD-BJP ruling alliance.
The AAP had won four out of 13 parliamentary seats in the state in 2014 and has made significant inroads in the state since then. However, the AAP also faces factionalism in the state.
Though names of senior leaders, including Ashwani Sharma and Avinash Rai Khanna, are doing the rounds for the next Punjab BJP chief, sources disclosed that supporters of cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu are also lobbying for him.
A former Amritsar MP, Mr Sidhu has been sidelined in the BJP as he doesn’t share a good rapport with the SAD and had criticised their leadership on various occasions.
Speculation was rife that the AAP was in touch with Mr Sidhu and his wife, who is an MLA.
Sources disclosed Mr Shah could also discuss election-related issues with state leaders amid indications that the SAD-BJP might not be third time lucky in the state. There is also speculation that current BJP state unit chief Kamal Sharma could get another term.
Sources said the BJP is getting feedback that issues like the Punjab government’s failure to check the drug menace and the sliding graph of industry and agriculture will effect the SAD-BJP alliance. Also, allegations of involvement of senior SAD leaders in the multi-crore drug racket, Abohar Dalit murder incident and recent incidents of sacrilege can also impact the ruling alliance’s poll prospects.
