M A I N   N E W S

SAD names six candidates for LS poll
Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 18
The Shiromani Akali Dal today announced six candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Sitting MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal has been re-nominated from Bathinda, while Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa has been fielded from Sangrur again. Prem Singh Chandumajra, who was fielded from Patiala last time, has been shifted to Anandpur Sahib this time. Pawan Kumar Tinoo has been nominated from Jalandhar, while Kulwant Singh will be the party nominee from Fatehgarh Sahib.

A significant development is that former minister Ranjit Singh Brahmpura has been made candidate from the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency in place of sitting MP Rattan Singh Ajnala. There was a big controversy over drug smuggling in the border belt. To avoid the fallout of that controversy in the Lok Sabha elections, Brahmpura has been fielded from Khadoor Sahib, sources said.

Harsimrat Kaur’s re-nomination was never in doubt. Last time, she defeated Raninder Singh, son of former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, with an impressive margin. Former Union minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, who lost to Vijay Inder Singla of the Congress last time, has been fielded again from the same constituency.

Owner of Janta Land Promoters Limited Kulwant Singh has been made candidate from Fatehgarh Sahib. He is a new entrant to the political arena though he once headed the Mohali Municipal Committee as its elected president. Last time, the SAD had given party ticket to Charanjit Singh Atwal, who is now the Speaker of the state Assembly.

Pawan Kumar Tinoo was elected from the Adampur Vidhan Sabha constituency in the last Assembly elections. A Chief Parliament Secretary, Tinoo remained in the BSP for long time before joining the SAD. In the last Lok Sabha elections, famous singer Hans Raj Hans was the SAD candidate from this constituency.

The SAD is yet to announce its candidates for Patiala, Faridkot, Ferozepur and Ludhiana constituencies. It will contest 10 seats while its coalition partner BJP will contest three seats. Last time, the SAD had won four seats, the BJP one and the Congress eight.

There are reports that the SAD is keen to nominate Rural Development Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra as its candidate from Patiala.