BJP leader Vijay Sampla stays away from campaigning in Doaba

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, May 12

Senior BJP leader and former Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes Vijay Sampla has been maintaining a distance from the BJP campaign in Doaba, especially Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur ahead of the LS polls.

Many BJP leaders, including three state Chief Ministers (Assam, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand), two deputy CMs (Rajasthan), five Union ministers, are accompanying candidates during the nomination process in Punjab.

To avoid trouble in Doaba, Sampla had been given the responsibility as Lok Sabha in-charge of Ludhiana by the party leadership where the former Union minister has concentrated his energies ever since. On Friday, Sampla accompanied BJP candidate Ravneet Singh Bittu during his nomination process from Ludhiana, along with state BJP in-charge Vijay Rupani.

However, Sampla has been missing in action in Doaba and wasn’t present during BJP leader Sushil Rinku’s nomination process from Jalandhar. With BJP Hoshiarpur candidate Anita Som Parkash all set to file her nominations from Hoshiarpur on Monday, Sampla is unlikely to be present there.

Accompanied by her husband Union Minister Som Parkash, Anita will file papers in the presence of Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat tomorrow. Before her nomination, Anita Som Parkash will also hold a roadshow.

Sampla had resigned from the NCSC chairman’s post in November last year and sought ticket from Hoshiarpur. After it was allocated to Anita Som Parkash, he shared various cryptic posts and removed ‘Modi Ka Parivar’ from his social media handles. State president Sunil Jakhar met him twice after that. Sampla said, “Since I have been accorded the responsibility of Ludhiana, why should I go anywhere else.”

Asked if he would accompany the BJP candidate Anita Som Parkash during her nomination process from Hoshiarpur on Monday, Sampla said, “I am not aware that she is filing nomination tomorrow.”