Punjab Key Candidates

Holding the office of the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief for a second term, 56-year-old Sharma is a low-profile face of the party in Punjab. However, he could not campaign for the party after the BJP announced him as a candidate from Pathankot that he had represented once. Sharma is credited with keeping the party afloat in the state despite unprecedented backlash for the BJP in Punjab over the farm laws. He has a strong connect with grassroots workers of the party, but lacks the charisma of a mass leader. In Pathankot, he is locked in a triangular fight.