Cautiously negotiating the fractious terrain, the Congress, in its first list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab has only replaced four sitting MLAs. The party has decided to repeat Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi from Chamkaur Sahib and State Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu from Amritsar East.
The party announced candidates for 86 seats out of a total of 117 in Punjab Assembly. The first list did not include Patiala Urban constituency which was represented by former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
Voting for Punjab’s 117 seats will take place in a single phase on February 14. Deputy Speaker of Punjab Assembly Ajaib Bhatti is among those who have been told to sit out. The Moga MLA Harjot Kamal had to make way for Malvika Sood, sister of actor Sonu Sood, who joined the party on the eve of polls. Mr. Kamal was quick to join hands with the BJP.
All other sitting ministers will contest from their respective constituencies they currently represent. The party has also fielded Punjab deputy Chief Ministers —Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa from Dera Baba Nanak and Om Prakash Soni from Amritsar Central, the seats they already represent.
Throwing his hat in the ring for the already messy race to the Chief Minister’s post in case of a Congress victory, Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Pratap Singh Bajwa will contest from the Qadian Assembly seat in Gurdaspur. His younger brother Fatehjang Singh Bajwa made way for him, since the party insisted on ‘one family, one ticket’ formula while distributing the party tickets.
Following this formula, former State unit president and campaign committee chief Sunil Jakhar will not contest the Assembly polls. In his place, his nephew Sandeep Jakhar will contest the Abohar Assembly seat instead. Similarly, Punjab minister Brahm Mohindra will not contest and his son Mohit Mohindra will contest in his place from Patiala rural Assembly seat.
Controversial Punjabi singer Sidhu Mussewala, who joined the Congress sometime ago will contest from Mansa.
Rupinder Kaur ‘Ruby’, who had switched sides from the AAP to Congress, has been fielded by the party from Malout-SC seat. She was elected from Bathinda Rural in the last election on AAP ticket. Former Punjab Youth Congress chief Amarpreet Singh Lally has been given the party ticket from Garhshankar. Jagpal Singh Abulkhurana has been fielded from the Lambi constituency currently represented by Parkash Singh Badal.
In U.P., women’s empowerment is the Congress’s main poll plank, a similar push is missing in Punjab. The first list only has nine women candidates- roughly 10 % so far in contrast to 40 % women representation in the Congress list in Uttar Pradesh.
