By Pardeep Luthra, BATALA: Jan 5:-After being denied ticket, Firebrand BJP leader and local MLA, Jagdish Sahni once again trains his guns towards Punjab BJP leadership and threatened to oppose the candidature of State BJP President, Ashwani Sharma, who is going to contest the assembly elections from Pathankot.
Sahni alleged that it was only due to his personal grudge with Ashwani Sharma, the Batala BJP’s seat was swapped with SAD and with his move, the state leadership had not only backstabbed him but the leadership had backstabbed thousands of BJP workers.
He told that being a Hindu dominant seat, there were more than 103000 Hindu votes out of the total of 158506 votes and he himself had won assembly elections in 1992, 1997 and 2007 while Brig Bikramjit Singh Bajwa in 1967 and Panna Lal Nayyar in 1977 had won elections on BJP ticket but on contrary to five wins, the alliance partners SAD had not tasted victory from his seat even once.
On being asked about his further strategy after being denied ticket, he told that he will oppose Education Minister, Sewa Singh Sekhwan, who was going to contest the elections on SAD ticket.
Blaiming Ashwani Sharma for hoodwinking the party high command, Sahni told that he along with hundreds of his supporters will go to Pathankot, when Ashwani Sharma is going to file nominations papers and will leave no stone unturned, for the defeat of Ashwani Sharma.
Hinting of contesting the elections from Batala as independent candidate, he told that he had called a meeting of supporters on Thursday to decide the future course of action.
It is to be noted that if Sahni plays the rebel in these elections, as he is likely to do, he can severely dent the party’s prospects in many seats of district Gurdaspur especially in Pathankot, where he commands a lot of influence being his birth place.
