Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 5

If reports of the Punjab BJP are to be believed, the party will lose ground in the state post Assembly elections. According to lists of expected winners prepared by BJP teams, the party is unlikely to retain its 12 seats that it had won in the 2012 elections. The BJP contested 23 segments.

Dinesh Babbu (Sujanpur) is the only consensus candidate as the expected winner on all lists. Field reports, including that of two former state party presidents, put the number of expected winners at not more than three, and predicted a close fight in six constituencies.

Party sources put the number of winners at six and said at least seven more were in reckoning to win.

Common names on the lists of possible winners are Som Parkash (Phagwara), Parveen Bansal (Ludhiana North), Anil Joshi (Amritsar North), Ashwani Sharma (Pathankot) and Tikshan Sud (Hoshiarpur).

Fazilka MLA Surjit Jyani is expected scrape through with the announcement of last-minute Dera Sacha Sauda’s support to the SAD-BJP alliance. Amritsar (Central) candidate Tarun Chugh is facing tough opposition from Congress’ OP Soni.

Party sources don’t expect state party president Sampla’s favourite Harjit Singh Grewal to win from Rajpura. Seema Kumari from Bhoa has lost credibility as a leader of reserved classes because of questionable rise in her sources of income.

Rajesh Kumar Honey (Amritsar East), contesting in place of Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu who quit the party to join the Congress, is said to be hard pressed, as is Rakesh Gill in Amritsar West.

Sources said BJP heavyweight Manoranjan Kalia is said to have lost ground in his constituency Jalandhar (Central) because of law and order problem, particularly murders, in the segment.

KD Bhandari (Jalandhar North), too, is facing opposition from Avtar Henry’s son of the Congress. Avtar Henry has an emotional appeal among voters.

Dasuya nominee Sukhjit Kaur is facing tough contest from Congress’ Arun Dogra. Arunesh Shakar in Mukerian is walking a tightrope in view of party rebel Jangi Lal Mahajan contesting as an Independent.