Cong candidates have state leaders’ approval

Wednesday, 03/04/2019

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/cong-candidates-have-state-leaders-approval/752254.html

Chandigarh : Ahead of today’s Congress’ Central Election Committee meeting for Punjab Lok Sabha nominees that saw six seats being cleared, party’s top leadership over the last few days elicited feedback from senior state Congress leaders, including some of the former presidents of the state party unit.

Party president Rahul Gandhi was updated on specific ground reports on various issues, including the caste and community balance in relation to Anandpur Sahib, Sangrur, Ferozepur, Faridkot (reserved) and Khadoor Sahib seats, it is learnt.

A senior party leader, privy to the feedback, said in the last few days various representations by Other Backward Class (OBCs) leaders and Hindu leaders had propelled the party’s top brass to do a ground check, apart from the feedback given by the screening committee members.

 While taking up the discussions in the screening committee, the committee members were asked to again study various caste and community balances while coming with the panel of candidates. The screening committee members, led by party general secretary KC Venugopal, are expected to meet again before the remaining seats go for discussion in the next round of the Central Election Committee meeting.

“With election in Punjab in the last phase, there is still time to discuss the remaining seats,” said a senior leader, who took part in the Central Election Committee meeting.

In the case of the Anandpur Sahib seat, former Union Minister Manish Tewari, despite being the frontrunner, could face an uphill task as issue of fielding a Jat Sikh face or OBC candidate could weigh him down. The OBC leaders in their executive committee meeting have discussed the option of fielding their own candidate.

Based on political dynamics, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh is learnt to have pressed upon his political secretary Capt Sandeep Sandhu not to contest the elections and rather field Manish Tewari. With Pawan Bansal getting Chandigarh seat and Raj Kumar Chhabewal getting Hoshiarpur, allotting the Anandpur Sahib seat to another Hindu face could be a problem.

Similarly, issue of fielding a Panthic face in Khadoor Sahib and Hindu face in Sangrur is still there in minds of certain leaders. In case of Ferozepur, Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, despite being a frontrunner, could face challenge from OBC and Hindu leaders. “With Raj Kumar Chabbewal’s name being cleared from Hoshiarpur, the party has kept the option of fielding the sitting MLA still open,” said a leader.