LIKELY CONTENDERS

Harsimrat Badal (SAD)

Second time Bathinda MP, Harismrat Kaur Badal (47) is Union food processing industries minister. She is daughter-in-law of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and wife of Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal. An outspoken leader, she was made a Union minister ignoring many senior MPs of her party.

Manpreet Badal (Cong)

Finance minister Manpreet Badal (56) is the estranged nephew of former CM Parkash Singh Badal. He also remained finance minister in the SAD-BJP government and parted ways with SAD in 2010. He formed the People’s Party of Punjab in 2011 and merged it in Congress in 2016. He is close to party president Rahul Gandhi.

Sukhpal Khaira (PEP)

A rabble-rouser, Sukhpal Khaira (53) is son of late Akali leader Sukhjinder Khaira. He was elected Congress MLA from Bholath in 2007 but switched over to AAP in 2015. He became AAP MLA in 2017 and was made leader of opposition but parted his ways with AAP after he was removed from the post last year.

Nirvan Singh (Cong)

Grandson of CM Amarinder Singh, Nirvan Singh (30) is younger son of Amarinder’s daughter Jaya Inder Kaur. A postgraduate in international relations from a UK university, he handles the CM’s social media accounts. Since Amarinder’s son Raninder is not interested in politics, Nirvan is seen as his heir apparent.