Ravi Dhaliwal
Gurdaspur, January 15
In the Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency, which comprises nine Assembly seats, the Congress has re-nominated candidates on five seats, while Batala and Bhoa have been kept in abeyance. The two new faces are Partap Singh Bajwa (Qadian) and Naresh Puri (Sujanpur).
Puri has replaced Amit Mantu. In the 2017 polls, Puri, the son of former minister Raghunath Sahai Puri, contested as an Independent and bagged impressive 28,000 votes. Ex-Union minister Ashwani Kumar’s son Ashish Kumar was also in contention.
In Qadian, Partap Singh Bajwa, whose Rajya Sabha term ends in April next year, has been nominated. High drama had prevailed on this seat as Partap’s brother and sitting MLA Fateh Jung Bajwa were involved in a do-or-die battle to get the ticket. A fortnight ago, when it became clear Fateh could be sidelined, he was quick to join the BJP, leaving the field open for his elder sibling.
The five others who have been selected are Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa (Dera Baba Nanak), Amit Vij (Pathankot), Aruna Chaudhary (Dinanagar), Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa (Fatehgarh Churian) and Barindermeet Singh Pahra (Gurdaspur).
Tript had in fact been eyeing Batala. Even his detractors admit the city has seen unprecedented development in the last five years with Tript bringing in one project after the other. “With Tript being re-nominated from Fatehgarh Churian, it is widely believed three-time MLA Ashwani Sekhri will be asked to contest from Batala. We fail to comprehend as to why Batala has been kept in abeyance. Both Sekhri and Tript have been involved in a no-holds-barred battle for the past five years to control the turf,” said a former minister.
In Pathankot, Amit Vij’s candidature, keeping in view his good work, was never in doubt despite the fact that his detractors had recently come together on a joint platform to deny him the nomination.
In Bhoa, Joginder Pal was sure to be nominated in the first list. However, sources say with former Gurdaspur MP Sunil Jakhar strongly backing Pathankot district congress chief Sanjeev Bains, the party has decided to defer the announcement.
Laddi denied ticket from Sri Hargobindpur
Sri Hargobindpur MLA Balwinder Laddi, who had recently joined the BJP before returning to the Congress, has been denied the ticket. It was believed Laddi had returned to the party fold only after CM Channi assured him the ticket. His replacement is Mandeep Singh Rangar Nangal.
Bajwa, Puri new faces; 5 MLAs secure ticket from Gurdaspur
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