Ghubaya joins Cong on assurance of ticket, party says made no promise

Wednesday, 06/03/2019

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CHANDIGARH: A day after quitting the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and his subsequent expulsion from the party, Ferozepur MP Sher Singh Ghubaya joined the Congress at party president Rahul Gandhi’s residence at New Delhi on Tuesday.

Ghubaya’s move comes after days of flip-flop as the Congress has refused to promise him a ticket. He was slated to meet Rahul on Monday but deferred the decision after the party did not offer any assurance. Rahul is learnt to be against giving preference to turncoats over party loyalists. Besides, it would also violate party’s one family, one ticket norm as Ghubaya’s son, Davinder, is MLA from Fazilka.

Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar and general secretary in-charge of Punjab Asha Kumari, who accompanied Ghubaya, said he joined the party unconditionally. “No promise has been made by the Congress to nominate him as the Lok Sabha candidate from Ferozepur,” Jakhar said.

But Ghubaya said senior Congress leaders have assured to seek a ticket for him. “I have joined the party based on their assurance and I am sure of getting it (ticket),” he said.

It is after three decades that the Congress, which has not won the Ferozepur seat since 1989, is hopeful to clinch it. The wrangling for tickets began after Jakhar — who lost from Ferozepur in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and later won the Gurdaspur bypoll necessitated by the death of BJP MP and actor Vinod Khanna in April 2017 — declared Gurdaspur as his one and only choice.

With speculation rife that Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal may field his wife, Bathinda MP and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, from Ferozepur, the Congress says it will wait for the Akalis to make the first move. Sukhbir’s Jalalabad constituency and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal’s home turf Muktsar are part of the Ferozepur Lok Sabha constituency.

“The decision will rest on who the Akalis field. Ghubaya is a Rai Sikh, the community which holds sway in the constituency. But if Harsimrat is fielded, we would need to field a more formidable candidate,” a senior Congress leader said.

The Congress challenge will also be to keep the warring factions together. Ghubaya’s entry has led to an open revolt in the party as it has queered the pitch for Jakhar’s bête noire sports minister Rana Gurmeet Sodhi and his son Anumit Singh alias Hira Sodhi, both of whom have applied for the ticket.

“Anyone is welcome to join the Congress but the ticket should go to party loyalists and those who enjoy a clean image,” Hira Sodhi said. Gidderbaha MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, another ticket hopeful, too is opposed to his candidature.

A sleaze video of Ghubaya had gone viral when his son joined the Congress. The party is wary of the Akalis launching a smear campaign if Ghubaya is fielded. And if not given ticket, he may contest as an independent or join hands with the SAD (Taksali).

A section of the Congress leadership wants to bet on a Hindu face saying the Rai Sikh and Jat Sikh votes may divide if Akalis field the latter and this will tilt the scales in favour of a Hindu candidate.