‘One family, one ticket’: First cousins make it an exception

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 16

In a list of candidates for the Punjab Assembly poll released today, the Congress stuck to the “one family, one ticket” norm by not accepting the claim of Lal Singh for the ticket from Sanaur.

Lal Singh’s son Rajinder Singh has been given the ticket from Samana.

By not considering Lal Singh, the party has justified the denial of ticket to Vikram Bajwa, son-in-law of Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Partap Singh Bajwa, who was keen to contest from Gurdaspur.

A senior leader said Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh has made the party top leadership adhere to the “one family, one ticket” norm. Capt Amarinder Singh was the first to announce the norm for his family by making his wife Preneet Kaur withdraw in his favour. Partap Bajwa also had to withdraw the name of his wife Charanjit Kaur in favour of his brother Fateh Bajwa.

On the contrary, the party has given the ticket to first cousins. Deepinder Singh Dhillon, who has been nominated from Dera Bassi, and Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon, candidate from Muktsar, are first cousins. The candidate from the Kartarpur reserved seat, Chaudhary Surender Singh, son of late Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, is the first cousin of Vikram Chaudhary, who has been given the ticket from the Phillaur seat.