Archit Watts
Tribune News Service
Muktsar, December 27
To get the Congress ticket from the Muktsar Assembly segment, which is the home turf of former Chief Minister Harcharan Singh Brar, won’t be easy for former MLA Karan Kaur Brar this time as some loyalists of Transport Minister Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, son of former MLA Sukhdarshan Singh Marar and cousin of Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal are also in the race.
Brars’ dominance
- Harcharan Brar was elected from Muktsar in 1957, 1962 amp; 1992. His son Kanwarjit Singh Sonny Brar won in 1977 amp; 2007
- The ex-CM’s wife Gurbinder Kaur Brar won in 1985 and daughter-in-law Karan Kaur Brar in 2012
Multiple claimants
Securing party ticket from the constituency won’t by a cakewalk for former CM Harcharan Singh Brar’s family as loyalists of Minister Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, son of ex-MLA Sukhdarshan Singh Marar and cousin of Manpreet Badal are also in the race.
Karan Kaur, the daughter-in-law of Harcharan Singh Brar, has served as MLA Muktsar from 2012-17. She is submitted her application for the Congress ticket recently. Notably, during the 2017 Assembly elections, 10 days before the Congress released its official list of the candidates, Karan Kaur circulated a voice message that AICC president Sonia Gandhi allotted her ticket from the Muktsar segment.
However, this time, a number of Warring loyalists, including his maternal uncle-cum-District Congress Committee president Harcharan Singh Sotha Brar; Punjab Rice Industry Association president Bharat Bhushan Bansal Binta; Zila Parishad chairman Narinder Singh Kaoni; and Zila Parishad member Simarjit Singh Bhina Brar are in the race for the party ticket.
Similarly, ex-MLA Sukhdarshan Singh Marar’s son Rajbalwinder Singh Marar, a SP-rank officer who claims to have sent his resignation, is also eyeing the Congress ticket from here. Marar family has even opened an office in Muktsar town. Even Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi had on Sunday came to Muktsar to attend the first death anniversary of Sukhdarshan Marar and termed Rajbalwinder as his good friend in his speech.
Further, PCC general secretary Jagjit Singh Honey Fattanwala, a cousin of Manpreet Badal, who unsuccessfully contested the 2012 elections from Muktsar, is also vying for the ticket.
About the Congress leaders staking claim on the party ticket, Karan Kaur said, “I don’t want to comment on it. I belong to a staunch Congress family. I have applied for the party ticket from Muktsar as I am working in my constituency.” She is a close relative of former CM Capt Amarinder Singh, which may go against her,” said some Congressmen.
PCC faces tough choice in Muktsar
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