Punjab: Finding 3 reserved seat picks a tall order for Congress

Tribune News Service

Rajmeet Singh

Chandigarh, April 4

For the coming parliamentary elections, the Congress is finding it hard to shortlist candidates for three of the four reserved parliamentary segments of Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib and Hoshairpur. The only exception is Jalandhar, where the party is all set to field former CM Charanjit Singh Channi.

First list expected by April 10

Sources in the party said the screening committee meeting for Punjab is expected to be held around April 7, followed by the central election committee meeting. The first list of candidates is expected before April 10.

As per the internal discussion in the party and feedback from workers in the field, there is a strong demand to field local candidates instead of bringing an outsider.

After Raj Kumar Chabbewal left the party to join the AAP, the party is looking for a suitable candidate for the Hoshiarpur seat. “Initially, Chabbewal was to be given the ticket as he had contested the 2019 parliamentary elections from there as per the internal deliberations of the party, but the party is now looking for other candidates,” said a senior leader privy to the internal discussions in the party.

Now, the party is considering the names of the Adampur MLA Sukhwinder Kotli, former Kerala DGP Sudesh Kumar and former MLA Pawan Kumar Adia for the Hoshairpur seat. Initially, Channi was being considered for the Hoshairpur seat.

A senior party leader said for the Faridkot seat, MP Mohammed Sadique was unlikely to contest again. Being a Majbi Sikh dominated constituency, the party was considering the name of former MLA from Gill seat in Ludhiana Kuldeep Vaid and a former Moga zila parishad chairman Rajinder Kaur Sahoke among the shortlisted candidates. Her husband Bhupinder Singh Sahoke had unsuccessfully contested the 2022 assembly election from Nihal Singh Wala seat.

For the Fatehgarh Sahib seat, the state unit has proposed the name of former Payal MLA Lakhvir Singh Lakha apart from present MP Dr Amar Singh.

Sources said former CM Chanarjit Channi was recently called to Delhi by the party high command to get feedback on the reserved seats and suitability of different candidates, especially after Chabbewal and other leaders left the party.

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