New Delhi: The Congress on Monday deployed heavyweights in four seats in Punjab to counter the ruling AAP in the northern state.
The party announced the candidature of state unit chief Amarinder Singh Raja Brar from Ludhiana, where sitting MP Ravneet Singh Bittoo joined the BJP, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, AICC in charge of Rajasthan, in Gurdaspur, Kulbir Singh Zira in Khadoor Sahib, and AICC joint treasurer Vijay Inder Singla in Anandpur Sahib, vacated by Manish Tewari who is contesting from Chandigarh.
“We wanted to convey a message that we are a serious player in Punjab. Therefore, we have fielded strong candidates. Our campaign is going on well and we hope to improve our 2019 record this time,” AICC in charge of Punjab Devender Yadav told ETV Bharat.
In the previous 2019 polls, the Congress had won 8 out of total 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. The BJP and SAD had an alliance. The BJP contested 3 seats and won 2 and SAD contested 10 seats and won 2 seats. This time they are fighting the polls separately.
“The BJP and the SAD do not have much influence left in the state but they are hand in glove. Our main rival is the AAP which is facing heavy anti-incumbency. We are also targeting the policies of the central government,” said Yadav.
The Congress is fighting the ruling AAP in Punjab but the two parties are allies in the national capital Delhi where the grand old party’s former state unit chief Arvinder Singh Lovely resigned on April 28 citing alliance issues.
“Lovely resigned due to personal ambitions. He had earlier approved the alliance with AAP in Delhi. However, I don’t think his resignation would have any impact in the Punjab elections,” said Yadav.
Earlier, the Congress had announced six candidates in Punjab, former AAP leader Dharamvir Gandhi, a strong critic of chief minister Bhagwant Mann, in Patiala, former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi in Jalandhar, Bholath MLA and All India Kisan Congress chief Sukhpal Singh Khaira in Sangrur, four term Talwandi Sabo MLA Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu in Bathinda and sitting MPs Gurjit Singh Aujla and Amar Singh in Amritsar and Fatehgarh Sahib respectively.
Former chief minister Channi, a Dalit leader, has been fielded in Jalandhar where the SC voters are significant. Overall in Punjab, SC voters are around 32 percent. Channi’s nomination had miffed the family of former party MP Santokh Chaudhary who had died during Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Dharamvir Gandhi was inducted with an eye on countering Preneet Kaur, the sitting MP in Patiala who joined the BJP following her husband former chief minister Amarinder Singh. In Amritsar, Congress nominee Aujla is fighting BJP’s Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India’s former Ambassador to the US.
In Chandigarh UT, the party decided to grant the long-time wish of former union minister Manish Tewari, who replaced veteran and former union minister Pawan Kumar Bansal as Congress nominee. Tewari will face BJP’s Sanjay Tandon. The AAP had been claiming the seat but vacated it as part of an alliance.
Read More
