Lok Sabha Elections 2019:Sitting MP Kirron Kher, 2 others shortlisted by BJP for Chandigarh constituency

The core committee of the Chandigarh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has finalised its list of three names, one of whom will be the party candidate for the Lok Sabha elections scheduled on May 19. The three are Chandigarh BJP president Sanjay Tandon, sitting MP Kirron Kher and former MP Satya Pal Jain. The party high command will take a final call on the name of the candidate.

The list was finalised at a meeting that Haryana finance minister Captain Abhimanyu, also the election in-charge for Chandigarh, chaired on Tuesday. Tandon confirmed the development, saying, “The three names have been forwarded to the central election committee of the party.”

Besides Kirron, Tandon and Jain, the meeting was attended by general secretaries Chander Shekhar and Prem Kaushik, Mahila Morcha state president Sunita Dhawan, Chandigarh BJP vice president Raghubir Lal Arora and mayor Rajesh Kalia.

Tandon and Jain were in the race in 2014 as well. However, due to in-fighting, party chose Kirron, a first-timer. The actor-turned-politician emerged the winner garnering 42.2% votes.

Before Kirron’s victory, the BJP had lost the previous three Lok Sabha elections from Chandigarh. While Tandon is yet to make his electoral debut, Jain, an additional solicitor general, is a former Member of Parliament.

“Yes, we had a meeting and it was decided that the high command will take the decision, as always,” Kirron said. On whether the choice of names was unanimous, she added, “Everything has been forwarded to the high command. I cannot comment further.”