Captain, Jakhar in Delhi for Rahul’s meeting on LS polls
Ex-minister Bhalla opposes re-nomination of Jakhar from Gurdaspur seat; 160 apply from state so far with nominations to be accepted till Feb 10
CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and state Congress president Sunil Jakhar are in New Delhi to take part in a meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi to discuss the Lok Sabha polls.
Rahul has called the meeting of state Congress chiefs and Congress legislature party (CLP) leaders to get their feedback on candidates and political scenario in their states.
The Punjab unit has held meetings to get feedback on all 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state. On Friday, Jakhar and AICC general secretary and Punjab affairs in-charge Asha Kumari met MLAs, former MLAs and senior leaders from the four Lok Sabha seats of sitting MPs — Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Jalandhar.
Former minister Raman Bhalla openly opposed the re-nomination of Jakhar from Gurdaspur calling him an outsider. Bhalla too had staked a claim for the seat during the 2017 bypoll and had stayed away from Jakhar’s campaign initially.
The seat had fallen vacant after death of actor and four-time BJP MP Vinod Khanna.
“Jakhar is president of the party and the whole state machinery was with him during the bypoll. All MLAs were sitting there. But now, Jakhar will be judged for what he has done for Gurdaspur after becoming MP. He has never met us or called us. It was discussed that Congress is weak in Sujanpur and Pathankot. I have represented both and workers still stand by us. The party should listen to what the workers want,” Bhalla told reporters after the meeting.
Jakhar had abstained from the meeting on his seat and it was chaired by Asha Kumari.
He targeted Jakhar saying illegal mining is still rampant in the district. The MLAs were given slips to recommend names of candidates.
The name of MLA Rakesh Pandey also figured for the Ludhiana seat represented by Ravneet Singh Bittu and former SAD minister Swaran Singh Phillaur, who joined the Congress in the run-up to the 2017 assembly polls, from Jalandhar seat represented by Chaudhary Santokh Singh.
The name of Amritsar mayor Karambit Singh Rintu is also learnt to have been recommended by some for the Amritsar seat represented by Gurjit Aujla.
In the meetings, the party leaders also discussed the emerging scenario in the state with the Punjab Democratic Alliance (PFA) and SAD (Taksali) stitching their own alliances.
Sources said the party will accept the nominations till February 10 as some are still expected to apply. The total number of nominations filed till Friday have reached 160.
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Jakhar is president of the party and the whole state machinery was with him during the bypoll. All MLAs were sitting there. But now, Jakhar will be judged for what he has done for Gurdaspur after becoming MP.
RAMAN BHALLA, former minister