Sunil Jakhar, the President of the Punjab BJP, contacted former Union minister Vijay Sampla on Saturday who is reportedly upset about not receiving the party ticket for the Hoshiarpur (reserve) Lok Sabha seat. Jakhar, accompanied by party leaders Harjit Singh Grewal and Vineet Joshi, visited Sampla at his residence in Hoshiarpur, news agency PTI reported.
Former union minister Vijay Sampla was hoping to secure the party ticket from Hoshiarpur. However, the BJP nominated Anita Som Parkash, the wife of incumbent MP and Union Minister Som Parkash, for the constituency. In response to being overlooked for the ticket, Sampla removed the 'Modi Ka Parivaar' tagline from his social media profile.
'If One Path Closes, God Opens Many Paths': Vijay Sampla
"Ek raasta band hota hai toh bhagwan aur kai raaste khol deta hai. Mere liye bhi bhagwan ne koi raasta zaroor nirdharit kiya hoga. (If one path closes, God opens many paths. God must have decided a path for me too)," he posted on X.
A prominent Dalit leader, Sampla emerged victorious from the Hoshiarpur seat in 2014 and served as the minister of state for social justice and empowerment. However, in the 2019 elections, the BJP opted for Som Parkash as its candidate for the seat.
Sampla's tenure as the head of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes spanned from 2021 to 2023. Polling for Punjab's 13 Lok Sabha seats is scheduled for June 1.