Cong first list out, sticks to ‘one family, one ticket’ rule
Friday, 16/12/2016
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CHANDIGARH: The Congress created history of sorts on Thursday by releasing its first list of candidates before the announcement of polls in Punjab. But it has played it safe by declaring names on just 61 seats out of 117, steering clear of ones where a consensus still eludes the party, including seats where MLAs who have quit the ruling SADBJP are vying for tickets.
One of the big surprises is absence of names of cricketerturned-politician Navjot Singh’s wife, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, and former Indian Hockey team captain Pargat Singh, who were BJP and SAD MLAs from Amritsar (east) and Jalandhar Cantt, respectively. The duo had joined Congress after Sidhu’s front Awaaz-e-Punjab had split following Bains brothers of Ludhiana allying with the AAP. The announcement of names on both the seats has been kept on hold, party sources said. Amarinder is rooting for former MLA and party candidate in 2012 polls, Jagbir Brar, from Jalandhar Cantt. Kaur’s seatwill also be announced along with Pargat’s, they said.
The only new entrant to get a place in the first list is former Punjab finance minister and CM Parkash Singh Badal’s estranged nephew Manpreet Singh Badal who has been fielded from Bathinda (urban) — the bastion of the ruling Badal family. The seat falls in the Bathinda parliamentary constituency of CM’s daughter-in-law and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
In another first, the political dynasties have given way to new rule of ‘one family, one ticket’. Three women MLAs have made way for men in the family owing to the new rule. Amarinder, who has resigned as Amritsar MP, will return to his seat Patiala (urban), won by his wife Preneet Kaur in a bypoll. Rajya Sabha MP Partap Bajwa’s wife Charanjit Bajwa has opted out for brother-inlaw Fateh Bajwa in Qadian and Nawanshahr MLA Guriqbal Kaur for son Angad Saini, 25, the youngest candidate on the list. The first list has six women candidates, including three sitting MLAs.
But the rule has also delayed a final decision on seats where it has to decide between fatherson and grandfather-grandson. Sanaur MLA Lal Singh is willing to give up his claim for Samana seat for his son Rajinder Singh.
74-year-old Samrala MLA Amrik Dhillon is more “winnable” in party surveys than his 26-yearold grandson Karanvir Dhillon.
Other than the five sitting MLAs who have opted out for family, the party has renominated 31 sitting MLAs out of 43 in the first list, including Rajnish Singh Babbi of Mukerian, who had won as a independent after being denied the Congress ticket.
Former MP Vijay Inder Singla, a part of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s team, will contest the state polls for the first time. He had won the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat in his debut election in 2009 but lost it to AAP’s Bhagwant Mann in 2014. Of the six new youth candidates on the list, half are “son-rises”, including former state minister Sardool Singh’s son Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Angad Saini son of MLA Guriqbal Kaur and Kulbir Singh Zira, son of former state minister Inderjit Singh Zira.
Other party stalwarts will contest their traditional seats -- former CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal from Lehragaga, former Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Sunil Jakhar from Abohar and incumbent CLP leader Charanjit Singh Channi from Chamkaur Sahib.
The seats where the sevenmember screening committee headed by former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot has still to finalise names are the ones where Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh wants to have his say such as Ludhiana (east) seat from where he is keen to field former Ludhiana MP and Union minister Manish Tewari but sitting Ludhiana MP Ravneet Bittu is opposing the move.
The party has also skipped announcing names of candidates in assembly segments where it is trying to pacify rebels or swap or drop sitting and former MLAs.
