Ludhiana West bypoll: BJP candidate Jiwan Gupta files nomination papers

BJP candidate for the bypoll to Ludhiana West assembly seat, Jiwan Gupta, Monday filed his nomination papers here.

Monday was the last day for filing nominations for the bypoll. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on June 3 while the last date for the withdrawal of nominations is June 5.

Candidates of other major political parties -- Sanjiv Arora from the ruling AAP, Congress' Bharat Bhushan Ashu, and SAD's Parupkar Singh Ghumman -- have already filed their nominations for the June 19 bypoll.

BJP candidate Gupta filed his nominations in presence of senior leaders including former Gujarat chief minister and party's Punjab in-charge Vijay Rupani, state BJP president Sunil Jakhar, Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu and Ludhiana district unit chief Rajneesh Dhiman.

The Ludhiana West assembly seat fell vacant following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January.

Earlier, addressing a workers' rally here, Jakhar said his party's victory in the Ludhiana by-election will determine the direction of political change in Punjab.

He said that the agricultural scientists from Ludhiana had brought about the Green Revolution and ended hunger in the country. Now, the AAP and the Congress have to be driven out by making the BJP candidate successful from the same land, he said.

Jakhar said Congress candidate Ashu will be defeated not by outsiders but by his own party, and warned him of ''beware of snakes in the sleeves''.

The BJP leader also made sharp attacks on the leadership of Aam Aadmi Party.

Union minister Bittu, while speaking on the occasion, urged voters to deliver a decisive victory for BJP candidate Gupta in the by-election.

Bittu emphasized that a win here could set the momentum for forming a BJP government in Punjab in 2027.

''This election is our chance to send a clear message to both the party leadership and the people of Punjab that the state is aligned with the vision and leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,'' he said.

Praising Gupta, he said, ''The BJP respects dedication and loyalty. Jiwan Gupta embodies both. Now, it's up to the people of Ludhiana West to reward that commitment with their votes.'' ''It's ironic that AAP couldn't find a single committed volunteer from Ludhiana,'' Bittu said.

The rally was also addressed by Rupani, former MP Shwet Mallik, and former Lok Sabha deputy speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, among others.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)