Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal has announced the names of its candidates for the upcoming 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, besides having charted out a 13-point agenda. The development assumes significance as SAD has intensified its campaign to return to power, while Congress is busy battling an internal rift within the party. There are 117 assembly seats in Punjab.
So far 19 candidates have been announced by the Akali Dal chief. Earlier, Badal had declared a candidate from Jalalabad, while Anil Joshi who recently switched over to the Akali Dal from BJP has also been declared a candidate from Amritsar North, while Tota Singh had been declared from Dharamkot, Virsa Singh Valtoha from Khemkaran, Sikandar Singh Maluka from Rampur Phool and Sharanjit Dhillon from Sahnewal.
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In Punjab, Akali Dal and BSP are contesting elections together wherein Akali Dal will contest on 97 seats while the BSP will try its luck on 20 seats. Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson GS Bali congratulated Akali Dal and said that they too will release the list of its candidates soon within a month. He added that Capt Amarinder Singh, Harish Rawat and Sonia Gandhi would release the list soon.
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan lashed out at Sukhbir Singh Badal, alleging that the latter looted Punjab for a decade, distributed drugs to every household, and today the people of Punjab are demanding answers from him. "That's why he is announcing the candidates in a hurry," the AAP MLA added.
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Earlier on Sunday, former minister and Akali leader Sikander Singh Maluka had refused to contest from Rampura Phul constituency after his name figured in the list of three candidates announced by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for the upcoming assembly polls.
