BJP names all 60 candidates for Patiala MC elections

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its all 60 candidates for the upcoming civic body elections, with several familiar faces making the cut. However, the names of prominent leaders like Anil Bajaj, Balwant Rai and Chaudhari Jagdish are notably missing from the list.

“I have fought elections six times before and have no intention of contesting again. That is why I did not file my nomination papers,” Bajaj said.

Jagdish and Rai were unavailable for comments.

Among the candidates is Varun Jindal, who had earlier been vocal about the BJP’s centralisation of power around the Moti Bagh Palace leadership. He secured the ticket from Ward No. 46, marking a significant shift given his previous opposition to the merger of Captain Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) with the BJP.

Jindal had earlier criticised the PLC’s dominance within the Patiala BJP, alleging that they occupied 70% of the party’s space post-merger. With changing political dynamics, Jindal expressed optimism about the BJP’s prospects in the civic polls. “We have a considerable chance of leading the House this time. During the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, BJP candidate Preneet Kaur led by 41,000 votes in Patiala city,” Jindal said. He emphasised the importance of conducting free and fair elections, asserting that the BJP’s rising influence in the region made it a strong contender this time.