On the final day for filing nominations for the upcoming Ludhiana West by-election, which is scheduled for June 19, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) put up a united front as the party candidate Jiwan Gupta formally submitted his nomination papers.
Gupta’s candidature, announced by the party just days earlier, received a major boost with the presence of several senior BJP leaders. Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar, former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Ashwani Sharma, Manpreet Singh Badal, Shwait Malik, and Som Parkash were among those who turned up to rally behind him.
Addressing party workers and local residents, Sunil Jakhar also took a swipe at the Congress. “While in Europe, I received a video where Ashu was asking about my whereabouts. Ashu ji, here I am. Tumne pukara aur hum chale aaye,” said Jakhar, prompting laughter and applause from the crowd.
He also accused both the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of internal sabotage. “They don’t need external opposition — they are feeding ‘aasteen ke saanp’ (snakes in the sleeve) who will destroy them from within,” Jakhar said, urging BJP workers to stay committed to the party’s development agenda rather than worrying about rivals.
Criticising the AAP government, Jakhar alleged that Punjab was being run remotely from Delhi. “It’s Delhi that decides who will look after the Secretariat, who checks the CM’s kothi, or when to open the fridge to serve drinks,” he said with sarcasm.
Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, invoking his own electoral success in Ludhiana West, appealed to voters to back Jiwan Gupta. “He is a dedicated worker of both the RSS and BJP, and truly deserves your vote,” Bittu said.
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