New Delhi, January 15
Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, state unit president Navjot Singh Sidhu and Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa have been named in the first list of 86 Congress candidates announced today.
The CM will defend his current segment Chamkaur Sahib and has been named from one seat amid talks that he could be fielded from a Doaba constituency also for larger electoral impact.
Sidhu will contest from his Amritsar East constituency and Bajwa from Qadian in Gurdaspur Lok Sabha segment. Bajwa’s brother Fateh Jung, sitting MLA from Qadian, recently defected to the BJP after reports that he would be dropped.
Deputy Chief Ministers Om Parkash Soni and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa will contest from their respective Amritsar Central and Dera Baba Nanak seats.
The Congress has by and large stuck to the “one family, one ticket” rule, with senior minister Brahm Mohindra making way for his son Mohit Mohindra in Patiala Rural and Punjab Congress campaign chief Sunil Jakhar stepping aside in favour of his nephew Sandeep Jakhar in Abohar. Two sitting Lok Sabha MPs, Amar Singh of Fatehgarh Sahib and Santokh Chaudhary of Jalandhar, have, however, succeeded in managing ticket for their sons, Kamil Amar Singh (Rajkot reserved) and Vikram Chaudhary (Phillaur SC seat).
“The idea was to avoid fielding two MLA candidates from the same immediate family. That has been achieved in the first list,” an AICC source said, adding some senior leaders were keen on getting ticket for immediate family members, including CM Channi. He wanted to field his brother from Bassi Pathana, but the party settled for sitting MLA Gurpreet Singh GP.
Interesting inclusions in the list are actor Sonu Sood’s sister Malvika Sood from Moga and controversial singer Sidhu Moosewala from Mansa.
The first list shows the Congress has played largely safe denying ticket to four sitting MLAs, but fielding the CM and the entire state Cabinet. The party has, however, fielded only 10.4 per cent women candidates in the first list as compared to 40 per cent in the first UP list of 125 contestants. Importantly, Punjab Youth Congress leader Amarpreet Lally prevailed as the party’s choice in the hotly contested Garhshankar seat where the Chief Minister was batting for Nimisha Mehta. The Congress leadership is yet to field a candidate from former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s Patiala constituency. Among the Members of the Legislative Assembly who have been dropped are Ajaib Singh Bhatti, Balwinder Laddi, Harjot Kamal and Nathu Ram.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission on Saturday extended the ban on physical rallies and roadshows until January 22. It, however, allowed indoor meetings of maximum of 300 persons or 50 per cent of the capacity of the hall.
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