Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, The BJP has nominated Hoshiarpur MP and a Dalit leader Vijay Sampla the state party president of Punjab. However, an official announcement of the decision is yet to be made.
Sampla, who is holding a meeting with some RSS leaders at Bhagat Chunni Lal’s residence in Jalandhar, said the party president, Amit Shah, had called him up to confirm that he would be retained in the union ministry too.
Sampla also holds the portfolio of Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment.
He is likely to hold a press conference later in the day today. The election to the state party chief’s post had earlier been postponed several times in Punjab owing to groupism in the state unit.
Among the candidates, the incumbent president Kamal Sharma was trying for a second term. Two other contenders were Pathankot MLA Ashwani Sharma and Rajya Sabha MP Avinash Rai Khanna. The name of senior leader Tarun Chugh was also doing the rounds. He and Kamal are considered in to be in the same group.
The other group, Avinash Rai Khanna group, was rooting for MLA Ashwani Sharma. This group had reportedly suggested the names of Dalit leader Vijay Sampla, Sikh leader Harjit Singh Grewal or Brahmin face Manoranjan Kalia to please certain sections of the party.
