Chandigarh, July 18 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday appointed former Union minister Som Prakash as observer to assess probable candidates for the Tarn Taran assembly by-election.

According to a party release, Prakash will submit recommendations to the State Election Committee and will be assisted by former MLA Kewal Singh Dhillon and BJP Mahila Morcha chief Jai Inder Kaur.

On Wednesday, the party named former minister Surjit Jayani as in-charge for ground-level preparations, with KD Bhandari and Ravi Karan Singh Kahlon as co-incharges.

The assembly seat fell vacant following the demise of sitting AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal on June 27. However, the assembly bypoll, which is required to be held within six months, has yet...