JALANDHAR:
Congress
MLA
Rana Gurjit
Singh has revealed that he is keen on his
son
and Sultanpur Lodhi independent
MLA
Rana Inder Partap Singh getting the Congress nomination from Anandpur Sahib. Even sitting MLA Pargat Singh said that he had offered to the party leadership to contest from
Anandpur Sahib
or Ludhiana, “if party felt the need.”
“I have been keen to contest from Anandpur Sahib since 2009 after I contested from Jalandhar parliamentary constituency in 2004 and won but could not get the opportunity.
Now I am very keen that my son should contest from here,” Rana Gurjit told TOI on Thursday.
Asked why was he keen on Anandpur Sahib when his own assembly segment Kapurthala and Inder Partap’s segment Sultanpur Lodhi are part of Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, Rana Gurjit said he had once unsuccessfully contested from Khadoor Sahib in 2009. “My name is at the top from both Khadoor Sahib and Anandpur Sahib in the internal party surveys, but my preference is the latter seat. From Khadoor Sahib, ‘mera banda’ (my person) would contest,” he said, adding: “I shall fully support whichever candidate party would contest from there.”
“General category from Doaba needs representation in Parliament when both Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur are reserved seats and Anandpur Sahib has four assembly segments from Doaba. I have my own network in the seat,” Rana Gurjit said.
Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh told TOI he had already conveyed to the party leadership that if required, he could contest from Anandpur Sahib or Lu dhiana “especially in a situation when there were attempts by BJP as well as AAP to dent Congress” perception. “I made this offer a few months, back so that all the big names of the party contest and ensure victory on maximum seats from Punjab in such a crucial election for the country as well as for the state,” Pargat said.
Sources in Congress revealed that there were other aspirants from Anandpur Sahib and a senior Punjab Congress leader was pushing the name of a politician who had earlier jumped to BJP but returned to Congress a few months ago.
Hoshiarpur challenge
In Hoshiarpur, Congress is struggling to find a candidate even a month after its Chabbewal MLA and frontrunner for the party ticket, Dr Raj Kumar, switched to AAP. The party is facing this situation even as it has been alternately winning the seat till BJPSAD broke the cycle in 2019 as BJP candidate won the seat for a second consecutive term.
Ex-min opposes ticket to Channi
Former Congress minister Amarjit Singh Samra, who was a four-time MLA from Nakodar, said it was unfair to field former CM Charanjit Singh Channi from Jalandhar. “The party should have given the ticket to Karamjit Kaur, who contested the byelection and polled a good number of votes. If Channi was to be fielded, then late MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh’s family should have been taken into confidence. We shall not allow Channi to win from this seat,” he told TOI on Thursday.
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