Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service
Batala, December 8
Notwithstanding Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa’s withdrawal as a contender for the party ticket from the Batala Assembly seat, the picture remains hazy with two new candidates announcing their candidature.
Those in contention are three-time former MLA Ashwani Sekhri, considered to be the most prominent Hindu face in the Congress, Cabinet Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Gurdaspur District Congress Committee president Roshan Joseph and five-time councillor Harinder Singh.
Post Partap Bajwa’s exit, it was expected that Tript Bajwa and Sekhri would square off for the nomination. However, two more Congress leaders —Roshan Joseph and Harinder Singh — have thrown their hat into the ring. “I met AICC general secretary KC Venugopal on Monday. I apprised him of the fact that there are enough Christian votes to swing the pendulum in my favour,” said Joseph. He added Venugopal had assured him that he would look into his credentials as a ticket-seeker. Joseph hails from the neighbouring seat of Fatehgarh Churian.
Harinder Singh, a Ramgarhia, says “What tilts the balance in my favour is the fact that there is a heavy concentration of my community’s votes.” His detractors say he is a first time Councilor. To this, he says, “I have contested five elections from different parties and have never lost even a single one.”
Sources say Amardeep Singh Cheema, a former Chairman of Punjab Health Systems Corporation, is also a contender. He could not be contacted for comments.
Keen to contest
Congress leader Roshan Joseph, who hails from the neighbouring Fatehgarh Churian, believes he can draw Christian voters. Harinder Singh, a Ramgarhia and first-time councillor, has also expressed his intention to contest poll.
PCC in quandary as 2 more enter Batala fray
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