Punjab Polls: BJP to hold meeting to decide seat-sharing tomorrow, party likely to contest on 80, allies to get 37 seats
Jan 16, 2022
New Delhi [India], January 16 : The Bharatiya Janata Party will hold an important meeting at the party headquarters on the Punjab Assembly polls tomorrow afternoon to discuss seat sharing with its allies, Captain Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress Party and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa's Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt), said sources in the party.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda, party Punjab State President Ashwani Sharma, Election in-charge Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Punjab in-charge Dushyant Gautam, Union Minister Som Parkash will be present at the meeting.
According to the sources, BJP will contest on 80 seats and their allies will contest on 37 seats. The candidates will be decided based on their winnability.
However, in the interview given to ANI regarding the sharing of seats, election in-charge Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Union Minister Som Parkash have already said that the 6-member committee will take the final call on the seat-sharing in the polls. The party which has the potential to win a particular seat, will be allotted that particular seat.
Notably, Punjab BJP in charge Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that ahead of the Assembly elections, BJP, SAD (Sanyukt) and Lok Congress have formed a six member-Committee to decide on seat sharing.
When asked about reports of BJP contesting on most of the seats of Majha and Doaba and Captain Amarinder Singh's party fighting on most seats in the Malwa area, Som Parkash said, "It will be decided in the coming days. If it does not happen, the party's senior leadership will take the decision then."
"The candidates who can win in the three areas, the decision will be taken according to that. It would be premature to say anything on that," he added.
Of the 117 assembly seats in Punjab, 69 seats are in Malwa. Majha has 25 assembly seats whereas there are 23 assembly seats in the Doaba region.
However, in the interview with ANI, Shekhawat had hinted that the BJP will get the most number of seats as it is the bigger party in the coalition.
Punjab will go to the polls on February 14 and the counting of votes will take place on March 10.
