Summary:
Salaria had lost the 2017 Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll to PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar by a margin of 1.93 lakh votes. In Amritsar, sources said Punjab BJP president Shwait Malik had kept various options open to ensure victory since he hails from the city. The party has begun an internal survey before taking a final call on naming the candidates.According to the seat-sharing formula, BJP’s alliance partner SAD contests from the remaining 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state. In recent past, Malik had appointed Anand Sharma as BJP Amritsar (urban) unit chief president, who was criticized for opposing Jaitley during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Party sources said a group within Punjab BJP unit was allegedly involved in political subterfuge to secure seats for its favourite candidates, irrespective of their mass base and winning potential..