Overview
- Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar, speaking Tuesday, alleged officials rejected 21 BJP nominations in Batala, 10 in Moga, 11 in Barnala and three in Dhuri without valid reasons.
- Jakhar said the party will move court over the rejections and is compiling names of officers he claims acted as political agents.
- Chief minister Bhagwant Mann later rejected the allegations of bias, saying the nominations process was fair.
- Opposition parties held protests in towns including Muktsar, Amritsar, Sangrur and Barnala over what they called wrongful rejections, with BJP leader Tarun Chugh describing a “wholesale” purge and citing a case where a complainant withdrew yet a woman candidate was still rejected.
- Jakhar also sought a probe into a new underground electricity wiring project, alleging the tender was cleared under a former power minister who is now in jail on corruption charges.