New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday (January 21) released the first list of 34 candidates for the Punjab Assembly Elections. The Punjab BJP in-charge Dushyant Gautam presided over the conference and announced the names of the candidates.


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Out of the 34 names in the first list of the saffron party, tickets have been given to 12 candidates who belong to farmers' families, 8 tickets to members from the Scheduled Castes and 13 tickets have been distributed to Sikh members.



The list consists of names of doctors, lawyers, sportspersons, farmers, youth, women and former civil servants.


BJP is fighting the polls in alliance with Punjab Lok Congress led by Capt Amarinder Singh and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt).


The party has fielded Arvind Khanna from Sangrur, Manoranjan Kalia from Jalandhar Central and Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi from Ferozepur City. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Punjab BJP in-charge Dushyant Gautam were also present at the press conference


Meanwhile, Congress has launched a campaign on social media stating that the entire state is with Charanjit Singh Channi and blaming the BJP-led Centre for trying to defame Punjab's first chief minister from the scheduled caste community.


This comes as the ruling party in the state and CM Charanjit Channi are receiving flak after raids were conducted in his nephew’s residence.


The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday had said it seized cash amounting to over Rs 10 crore, including about Rs 8 crore from a relative of Channi, during raids conducted in connection with an anti-money laundering investigation against illegal sand mining operations in the poll-bound state.


Punjab, which is witnessing a high-octane neck to neck competition amid political parties is set to go polls on February 20.


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