New Delhi, Jan 21 (UNI) BJP on Friday announced its first list of candidates for Punjab assembly polls for 34 seats.
At a press conference to announce the list, BJP Punjab in-charge Dushyant Gautam thanked the Election Commission of India for extending date of assembly polls in view of Ravidas Jayanti.
He launched an attack against the Punjab government for the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Punjab on January 5, and accused the Congress government of corruption.
He said people of Punjab were going to surprise everyone in this election, and expressed confidence that the BJP alliance would "emerge as an alternate in Punjab".
BJP is fighting Punjab polls with Captain Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa's Shiromani Akali Dal -Sanyukt.
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri meanwhile launched an attack at former ally Shiromani Akali Dal, without naming the party. He said it was good they broke the alliance.
"In Punjab BJP was in an alliance, because which it became junior partner. Our old allies, the policies they had... perhaps we were late to realise, but every time we were in an alliance, it was like a bad marriage. We are happy they quit themselves," Puri said.
BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chug announced the list and said 12 tickets have been given to candidates who belong to farmers' families, eight candidates from SC community have been given tickets and 13 Sikhs candidates were there.
The BJP is expected to contest from about 60-65 seats out of the 117 assembly seats.
Punjab polls will be held in a single phase on February 20, and counting would be done on March 10.
UNI AO SHK1924