“Happy surprise” for BJP officials upon Bittu’s entry into the group

The rank and file of the Bharatiya Janata Party are pleased with Ravneet Bittu, the MP from Ludhiana who formerly served in the Congress. Though there were a lot of ticket applicants from the industrial city, some may have had heartburn. Overall,  the cadres and leaders are in a positive mood.

Bittu has won three MPs. Since 2014, he has served as Ludhiana’s constant representative for two terms. He served as an MP for Anandpur Sahib from 2009 until 2014. He is the grandson of Beant Singh, the previous chief minister of Punjab, who was killed by a suicide bombing.

Several BJP officials The Tribune talked with expressed their approval of his appointment, especially considering that he comes from a well-known political family that has made significant sacrifices to restore peace to the state.

Gurdev Sharma Debi, the head of the BJP, felt the choice was wise. “The family has grown, and who doesn’t enjoy it when new people join the family?” Debi said.

Parveen Bansal had similar opinions, stating that the party’s choice had to be made carefully and that he was happy about it since Bittu is acquainted with Ludhiana.

Another BJP leader, Amarjit Singh Tikka, said that Bittu had previously shown signs of joining the party. We learned about the development around twenty to twenty-five days ago. Bittu has maintained constant communication with the party leadership. Though Tikka expressed disappointment to those who were in the running for the ticket,.

Although a different leader said that he “welcomed” the choice, in practice, Bittu in Ludhiana was the target of a lot of hostility. As a Hindu-majority city, Ludhiana “needs a candidate who has been in touch with the masses throughout,” the politician said. “I feel he would be a good candidate from Anandpur Sahib.”

BJP will go it alone

Given the apparent failure of the discussions between the SAD and BJP over elections and an alliance, the BJP has chosen to run for office in Punjab by itself this time. Some BJP officials think that since the people have shown the party so much love and support, the party has lifted the “burden” and will now flourish on its own. Conversely, SAD leaders feel that the negotiations were certain to fail since at stake were not just the problems of the vote sharing ratio but also the concerns of Punjab in general and Sikhs specifically.