Punjab polls: BJP-led alliance will field Sikh candidates on 70 seats

New Delhi/Chandigarh: Eyeing to expand its base in Punjab, the BJP will nominate Sikh candidates on more than half of the total seats it will contest in next month's assembly polls, its general secretary Tarun Chugh said on Saturday. Speaking on the BJP-led alliance, which comprises the Punjab Lok Congress and the SAD (Sanyukt), he said it is expected that most of its candidates for the February 20 polls to the 117-member assembly will be from the Sikh community, especially farmers and OBCs.

The BJP may also explore the option of announcing a chief ministerial face for the alliance, Chugh said.

Sources said that the BJP is likely to contest on 65 out of the total 117 assembly seats in Punjab, while its allies the Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress is expected to contest 38 seats and SAD (Sanyukt) 14.

The BJP is likely to field 33-35 Sikh candidates and the alliance as a whole may have more than 70 nominees from the community, they said.

Talking about the BJP's prospects in the elections, Chugh, who hails from the state, said the party will "surprise many with its splendid performance in the polls".

On the question of seat sharing with allies, Chugh did not divulge any details, but said, "The BJP will play the role of a senior partner in the alliance."

"The BJP will field Sikh candidates on about half of the total seats it will contest and the alliance as a whole will have about 60 per cent Sikh candidates, mostly farmers and those from OBC (other backward class) and SC (schedule caste) communities," he said.

The BJP has already announced its first list of 34 candidates which includes 13 farmers and nine from the SC community.

On whether the BJP or the alliance will project someone as the chief ministerial candidate, Chugh said,"All options are open. We are open to ideas."

Meanwhile, Punjab's former CM Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday announced Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) candidates from 22 constituencies for February 20 polls to the state Assembly.

The former CM's PLC has currently got 37 of the 117 seats in the state as part of its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and SAD (Sanyukt), with discussions still in progress on possibly another five seats for the party.

Announcing the first list of his candidates, Captain Amarinder Singh said all these candidates had strong political credentials and were known faces in their respective constituencies. There is one woman in the first list. Farzana Alam Khan, a former SAD MLA and wife of late DGP Izhar Alam Khan, will contest from Malerkotla.

There are nine Jat Sikhs. four of the candidates belong to the SC community, three to the OBC community, while five are Hindu faces in the PLC's first list.