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Lok Sabha Elections 2024: BJP on Wednesday announced the nomination of former Union Minister SS Ahluwalia as its candidate from West Bengal’s Asansol Lok Sabha seat.
Ahluwalia will take on veteran TMC candidate and party’s star face Shatrughan Sinha in Asansol, an industrial hub surrounded by the state’s coal belt.
The BJP had earlier nominated former state president Dilip Ghosh as its candidate from the constituency in place of sitting party MP Ahluwalia from Burdwan-Durgapur seat.
In turn, Ghosh moved from his former winning seat Medinipur to fight for his chances on Ahluwalia’s turf.
Although the BJP had initially announced the name of Bhojpuri singer-actor Pawan Singh as its candidate from Asansol, the seat is no longer with the party after Singh refused to contest from the constituency.
Although Ahluwalia could not be contacted for his comment, the state BJP welcomed his candidature.
BJP Samik Bhattacharya said, “Under the leadership of an experienced leader like SS Ahluwalia, we are confident of regaining the seat from TMC.”
Babul Supriyo, a two-time former BJP MP from the seat who switched to TMC in 2021, commented that Ahluwalia has been made a “sacrificial lamb”.
State Tourism Minister Supriyo alleged, “Ahluwalia is a good person and my friend. But, I feel the BJP is making him a scapegoat by sending him to Asansol, which is a losing issue for the BJP.”
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This story is published from a wire agency feed without any modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
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Published: April 10, 2024, 08:31 PM IST
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