Assembly polls: Punjab BJP chief Vijay Sampla denies report of his resignation

There were reports that Vijay Sampla offered to step down from the post of party's state unit chief over ticket distribution.

Chandigarh: Punjab BJP chief Vijay Sampla on Tuesday dismissed reports of him offering to step down from the post of party's state unit chief. 

"I did not offer any resignation," Vijay Sampla said, thus rejecting reports of him offering to quit the post. 

Earlier today, reports said that Sampla, who is a Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, was reportedly displeased with BJP leadership over the ticket distribution ahead of the crucial assembly polls in Punjab and offered to step down from the post of party's state unit chief as well as that of Cabinet Minister.

As per sources, Sampla was unhappy with BJP fielding Som Prakash from Fagwara as he wanted a person of his choice to contest the polls from the constituency.

Earlier today, BJP released six more names for the Punjab Assembly elections.

The saffron party has dropped two ministers in Punjab government from the list of its remaining six candidates for the state assembly polls, which is scheduled to take place on February 4.

With the announcement of these six more names for the Punjab assembly polls, the party has announced all its 23 candidates out of 117 seats in Punjab, where it is in alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

The BJP had on January 12 announced the first list of 17 candidates for state assembly polls. The last date of filing the nomination is January 18. SAD-BJP is locked in a tough battle with Congress and AAP, which has emerged as a formidable third force in the state.