Congress focus now on Patiala Urban, Batala

Chandigarh, January 15

As the All India Congress Committee-appointed screening committee held yet another brainstorming session to finalise the list of candidates for the remaining seats, all eyes are now on the high-profile seats of Patiala Urban, Batala and Jalalabad, which are yet to be announced.

Sources say as former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had challenged Navjot Singh Sidhu to contest from the seat, it is yet to be seen whether the party leadership decides to give a tough fight to the ex-CM by making Sidhu contest against him or field another heavyweight candidate. In case of Jalalabad, currently represented by Congress MLA Raminder Awla, the party is also weighing its options. Awla is likely to get the ticket from Guruharshai.

The party is also brainstorming on the Batala seat, from where former MLA Ashwani Sekhri is seeking the ticket. Qadian MLA Fateh Bajwa, who recently shifted to the BJP, has dismissed reports of returning back to the Congress fold. Sources say so far, the party has stuck to the ‘one family, one ticket’ criterion, but it remains to be seen whether it sticks to the formula while deciding on the remaining 38 seats.

In the eventuality of the party allowing two candidates from a family, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s brother Dr Manohar Singh may contest from another reserved seat, as Bassi Pathana has been given to sitting MLA Gurpreet Singh GP.

New faces are likely to be fielded from the Ferozepur Rural, Fazilka, Jalalabad, Gill, Sahnewal, Banga and Nawanshahr seats.

Channi’s brother fails to make cut

In the eventuality of the party allowing two candidates from a family, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s brother Dr Manohar Singh may contest from another reserved seat, as Bassi Pathana has been given to sitting MLA Gurpreet Singh GP.

Channi: Put off polls for Ravidass Jayanti

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, in a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, Sushil Chandra, has sought postponement of the February 14 Assembly elections in view of Guru Ravidas Jayanti that falls on February 16. He said representatives of the SC community had approached him on the matter. TNS