Punjab assembly bypolls: Saini, Capt Amarinder among BJP’s 40 star campaigners

Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Ravneet Singh Bittu are among the BJP’s 40 star campaigners for the November 13 Punjab assembly byelections.
The names of BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh, Punjab unit chief Sunil Jakhar, Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, former Union ministers Anurag Thakur and Smriti Irani, and former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani also figured in the list released by the party on Tuesday evening.
MPs Manoj Tiwari and Ravi Kishan, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Pathankot MLA Ashwani Sharma will also campaign for the party.
The bypolls to the four assembly seats — Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal and Barnala — were necessitated after MLAs representing them were elected to the Lok Sabha earlier this year.
The BJP has fielded Ravikaran Singh Kahlon from Dera Baba Nanak, Kewal Singh Dhillon from Barnala and Manpreet Singh Badal from Gidderbaha. It is yet to name its candidate for Chabbewal.
The Gidderbaha seat fell vacant after Congress’ Amrinder Singh Raja Warring was elected to the Lok Sabha from Ludhiana.
The Barnala seat fell vacant after AAP’s Gurmeet Singh Hayer won from Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency. He had won Barnala in the 2017 and 2022 assembly polls.
Dera Baba Nanak was vacated by Congress’ Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa after he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Gurdaspur.
The Chabbewal bypoll was necessitated after Raj Kumar Chabbewal, who was a Congress MLA but later joined the AAP, was elected to the Lok Sabha from Hoshiarpur.
The last date for filing nominations is October 25 and the scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted on October 28. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is October 30.
The counting of votes will take place on November 23.