Pb bypoll: BJP fields Rajesh Bagha in Phagwara, Jangi Lal Mahajan in Mukerian

The BJP on Sunday named Rajesh Bagha and Jangi Lal Mahajan as its candidates for bypolls to Punjab's Phagwara and Mukerian Assembly seats respectively.

Bagha, who is also the vice president of the BJP's Punjab unit, will contest assembly elections for the first time. He had been the chairman of Punjab Scheduled Castes Commission from 2011 till 2017 and the president of the state BJP's SC Morcha.

According to sources, BJP leader and Union minister Som Parkash was seeking ticket for his wife, while former Union minister Vijay Sampla wanted his son to be fielded from the seat.

The seat fell vacant after Parkash resigned from the Assembly following his election to the Lok Sabha from Hoshiarpur constituency this year. The Congress has fielded ex-IAS officer Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal from the Assembly seat.

"Development of Phagwara constituency will be my top priority. I will take forward the development works carried out by Som Parkash ji in this constituency," Bagha said on Sunday.

In 2019