Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, August 20

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffered an unexpected blow in the Dasuya Assembly segment after former MLA Bibi Sukhjit Kaur Sahi joined the Shiromani Akali Dal at Chandigarh today. After tasting defeat in Assembly poll in 2017, she had been in passive mode but during 2019 MP elections, the BJP candidate Som Parkash had been successful in earning her support. So, it was being considered that she could be the party’s choice for 2022 Assembly elections for contesting once again from Dasuya but her leaving the party like this has stunned the party leadership. She had inherited the legacy of her MLA husband Amarjit Singh Sahi, after his death in 2012 so she had not to struggle to establish herself. Her son, Dr Harsimrat Singh Sahi, also remained the Dasuya municipal council president and all was not well with BJP on his elevation. Later, he went to USA and is presently settled there. Some of her supporters, requesting anonymity, termed it as a ‘not a wise decision’ as there’s not much left with SAD in Dasuya as in the SAD-BSP alliance, the Dasuya seat is left for BSP.

BJP district president Sanjeev Minhas resented her decision to leave the party.