New Delhi, March 18
AICC general secretary Ambika Soni, who was the Punjab Congress choice for the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat, today indicated that she may opt out of the electoral race.
“I have an apprehension that I will not be allowed to contest though I was all set to do so,” Ms Soni told The Tribune today. The state party unit had recommended Ms Soni’s name for Hoshiarpur, stating that she was their best choice for this seat. But party President Sonia Gandhi is learnt to have said no on the plea that she was needed for election management.
Ms Soni heads the AICC media department, is in charge of the party’s publicity and election campaign and also sits in on a number of key committees overseeing poll strategy and candidate selection.
Ms Soni maintained that she was not indispensable but had been given certain responsibilities in the ongoing election work which could not be left midstream.
Ms Soni said contrary to the perception that senior leaders were shying away from a Lok Sabha contest, she had been keen on entering the fray this time. However, Ms Soni had all along maintained that the final decision in this regard rested with the Congress President.
With Ms Soni not being “permitted” to fight, the Congress will have to hunt for a suitable candidate for the Hoshiarpur seat, which was held by Mr Charanjit Singh Channi in the last Lok Sabha. The party is keen on replacing him as it is believed that he campaigned against the official candidates in the last Assembly poll.
In addition to Hoshiarpur, the party is yet to finalise its candidates for the Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Sangrur constituencies. The state unit has made a strong pitch for Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal’s candidature for Sangrur, stating that she is the best choice for this seat.
Ms Bhattal, however, is not keen on taking the plunge as her supporters believe this could be a ploy by her
bété-noire, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, to ensure her “exit from state politics.”
The party, however, may be saved from taking a decision in this case if the Sangrur seat is allotted to the CPM as part of their seat-sharing arrangement. The CPM, on the other hand, has shown a preference for Hoshiarpur while the Bathinda seat will be left for the CPI.
