KHADOOR SAHIB BYELECTION - Contest on, says Capt
Thursday, 21/01/2016
http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Tribune/
Chandigarh : Not known to beat a retreat, state Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh says the party will be contesting the Khadoor Sahib bypoll, scheduled for February 13. The party, however, is yet to decide on the candidate.
The party has been in a fix with its best bet for the election, Ramanjit Singh Sikki, showing his reluctance to contest. Though officially Sikki has dismissed reports suggesting that he was not willing to contest the poll as rumours, he said he would abide by the party decision. “I am engaged in sewa at the Darbar Sahib, I have not been able to meet or speak to the PCC president on the matter. I have been performing sewa for several years in this month and cannot break the routine. I also did not know that byelection would be announced at the same time,” he said, adding that he would soon meet the party president to put across his point of view.
Talking to The Tribune, Amarinder said there are three contenders for the seat and the candidate had to be decided by the party high command in Delhi. “For the next two days, I have public programmes lined up here and will be meeting the party president and vice-president to discuss the elections and the candidate,” he said.
Dismissing the talk that his newly engaged strategist had advised him not to contest the bypoll, Amarinder said the decision on the election and candidate would be taken only by the party high command. “We still have a week to decide on the candidate,” he said.
Party sources say within the state Congress, at least two MLAs have asked Amarinder not to contest the bypoll, citing the huge vote difference between the Congress and Akali Dal here during the parliamentary election and that the Akali-BJP government would go all out to secure a win.
However, another faction feels that the decision not to contest would dent not just the party’s image in a triangular contest expec
