PUNJAB BYPOLLS: CONG DECLARES ALL 4 NOMINEES, AKALIS PICK 1
CHANDIGARH : Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal (Phagwara), Indu Bala (Mukerian), Sandeep Singh Sandhu (Dakha) and Raminder Singh Awla (Jalalabad) are the four nominees declared by Congress for October 21 bypolls. The SAD has fielded Manpreet Singh Ayali from Dakha.
CHANDIGARH : The Congress on Monday announced its candidates for all four assembly constituencies in Punjab that go to bypoll on October 21. Party’s national general secretary Mukul Wasnik announced that Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal from Phagwara (reserved for scheduled castes); Indu Bala from Mukerian; Sandeep Singh Sandhu from Dakha and Raminder Singh Awla from Jalalabad, considered to be the stronghold of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), would be party candidates. The names have approval of party president Sonia Gandhi.
The Dakha seat fell vacant after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate HS Phoolka resigned; from Phagwara, BJP’S Som Parkash resigned after he was elected as MP from Hoshiarpur and became a Central minister. The Mukerian seat fell vacant after Rajnish Kumar Babbi of the Congress passed away in August. In Jalalabad, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal also got elected to the Lok Sabha and resigned as MLA.
In Phagwara, former Punjab minister Joginder Singh Mann, also a ticket aspirant, has already revolted against the party, saying that local leaders had been bulldozed and an outsider had been brought in.
In Mukerian, senior Congressmen openly criticised the decision to give ticket to Indu
Bala. Former municipal committee president Manglesh Judge, district vice-president Tarsem Minhas, Amarjit Singh Dhaadekatwal and others held a meeting in the evening to chalk out their future plan. Manglesh Judge said that the senior Congress workers were dismayed at the party high command’s decision
as the declared candidate had no other qualification, except being the widow of the former MLA.
“It is regrettable that the party has ignored the workers who have been working for it day in and day out for years. Keeping the ticket with one dynasty will harm its prospects,” he claimed.
AYALI IS SAD NOMINEE FROM DAKHA
Manpreet Singh Ayali, 45, is SAD candidate from Dakha constituency. Last week, at the Chappar Mela rally, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal had hinted about Ayali as its candidate; formal announcement came on Monday. Ayali is a real estate developer
based in Ludhiana and is a former MLA; he has also been a zila parishad chairman.
From Jalalabad, the party is expected to announce its names in a day or two. Here the party would choose between two Rai Sikhs, Dr Raj Singh and Puran Muzadia. BJP will contest from Phagwara and Mukerian.