Union Minister Vijay Sampla claims BJP prepared for Punjab polls

Union Minister and Punjab BJP chief Vijay Sampla on Wednesday said his party was fully prepared for the state Assembly election, slated for February 4. He welcomed the announcement of the poll schedule by the Election Commission.

Sampla said the names of the candidates have already been recommended to the central parliament board of the party by the state election committee and will be announced once the board finalises the list.

BJP fields its candidates on 23 Assembly seats out of the total 117 as per the poll pact with its ally SAD.

The state BJP chief claimed that the Akali-BJP combine would “perform a hat trick” in the state by winning the upcoming polls.

Development will be the main poll plank, he said. Sampla said one of the biggest achievements of the Akali-BJP combine government was the maintenance of communal harmony in the state despite several serious attempts of provocations and disruptions.

Earlier, Sampla, whose ‘Vijay Sankalp Yatra’ reached here, paid floral tributes to the portrait of B R Ambedkar.