News Analysis India

Tag: Punjab Polls 2022

  • Punjab polls: Cong fields CM Channi from two seats, replaces three MLAs

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: The Congress fielded Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi from a second seat, Bhadaur (SC), in the Punjab Assembly polls and replaced three MLAs as it released its final list of eight candidates on Sunday.

    The final list of candidates of Congress came two days ahead of the last date for filing nominations for the February 20 election.

    The ruling party in the state has now announced candidates on all 117 seats.

    The announcement to field Channi from a second seat comes days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the party would go to the Punjab polls with a chief ministerial face and the decision in this regard would be taken soon after consulting the workers.

    AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal took a jibe at Channi, saying he had pointed out that according to his party’s survey, the chief minister would lose the electoral battle from the Chamkaur Sahib (SC) seat, which he currently represents in the Assembly.

    “I had said that according to our survey, Channi is losing from Chamkaur Sahib. Today, Congress announced that he will contest the polls from two seats. Does it mean that the survey is right?” Kejriwal wrote on Twitter.

    ALSO READ: Bhagwant Mann has assets worth 1.97 crore; Sidhu declares properties worth near 45 crore

    The Congress has fielded former Union minister and former Chandigarh MP Pawan Bansal’s son Manish Bansal from the Barnala Assembly seat. The party has fielded former Patiala mayor Vishnu Sharma from the Patiala Urban seat.

    Former chief minister Amarinder Singh will also contest the polls from Patiala Urban. Sharma rejoined the Congress this month. He was the Patiala mayor from 2002 to 2007, when Congress was in power in the state.

    From Jalalabad, where the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has fielded its president Sukhbir Singh Badal, the Congress has nominated two-time former MP Mohan Singh Phalianwala. The seat is currently represented in the Assembly by Congress MLA Raminder Awla.

    Awla was learnt to have been seeking the party ticket from Guruharsahai. However, in its previous list of candidates, Congress fielded Vijay Kalra from the seat. The party has fielded Channi from the Bhadaur (SC) seat in Barnala district.

    The chief minister was earlier nominated from the Chamkaur Sahib (SC) seat, which he has been representing in the Assembly since 2007.

    By fielding Channi from Bhadaur, the Congress is eying electoral gains in the politically-significant Malwa region, which has a good presence of Dalits, in addition to their concentration in the Doaba area.

    The party would also hope to check the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) influence in the Sangrur-Barnala belt by fielding Channi from Bhadaur.

    Notably, Punjab has a 31.94 per cent Scheduled Caste (SC) population. Channi, who replaced Amarinder Singh last year, is the first SC chief minister of Punjab.

    ALSO READ: Punjab polls: PLC replaces Nakodar candidate, four others to fight on BJP symbol

    Earlier, his name was doing the rounds for being fielded from the Mehal Kalan (SC) seat in Barnala. Rebel AAP leader Pirmal Singh is the current Bhadaur MLA. The AAP has fielded Labh Singh Ugoke from the seat.

    Barnala district has three Assembly segments — Barnala, Mehal Kalan, and Bhadaur — which fall under the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency, State AAP president, and the party’s chief ministerial face in the upcoming polls Bhagwant Mann is the MP from Sangrur.

    The Congress has denied a ticket to its MLA Tarsem Singh DC from Attari. It has fielded Tarsem Singh Sialka from the seat. The party has also denied tickets to Nawanshahr MLA Angad Saini and has fielded Satbir Singh Saini in his place.

    Angad Saini had recently said his allegiance to Congress cannot be doubted and his wife’s defection to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is inconsequential to his loyalty to his constituents. His wife Aditi Singh is an MLA from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh. She joined the BJP after quitting Congress last year.

    From Khemkaran, the party has retained the current MLA, Sukhpal Singh Bhullar. It has fielded Ishwarjot Singh Cheema from Ludhiana South.

  • ‘Bhagwant Mann not serious about Dhuri constituency’: Sitting MLA and Congress candidate Dalvir Singh Goldy

    By PTI

    DHURI: Congress candidate and sitting legislator Dalvir Singh Goldy from Punjab’s Dhuri seat has challenged the AAP’s chief ministerial face Bhagwant Mann for an open debate on the issue of development works, claiming the comedian has nothing to show to the people.

    Goldy is locked in a high-stake electoral battle with Mann, who is the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) CM face and candidate from Dhuri.

    The Shiromani Akali Dal has fielded former Sangrur legislator Parkash Chand Garg from Dhuri seat.

    Dhuri is one of the assembly constituencies of the Sangrur Parliamentary seat.

    Mann is a two-time MP from Sangrur.

    With the AAP’s CM candidate Mann being nominated from Dhuri, this assembly seat has shot into limelight.

    The 40-year-old Goldy is banking upon several development projects carried out in Dhuri constituency in the last five years.

    “We have done a lot of development work in the constituency and have been serving people of this area for five years,” says Goldy who had remained active in student politics and was president of the Panjab University Campus Student’s Council in 2005-06.

    Sharing detail about several works undertaken by him in his constituency, Goldy told PTI in an interview that volleyball grounds were set up in 57 villages while 32 km-long roads were developed and re-carpeted, fire brigade at district level, mini fire brigade system at village level were set up and new sewerage system was laid.

    Asked as to how he sees Mann as an opponent from Dhuri, Goldy says, “I see him as a comedian not a serious politician.”

    “Mann is just singing paeans to the Arvind Kejriwal’s government to “fool” people during his speeches, says Goldy.

    The AAP had declared comedian-turned-politician Mann as its chief ministerial face after conducting a survey.

    “Mann has never shared any vision for Punjab,” says Goldy while pointing out that the AAP candidate never spoke about the depleting underground water table as Dhuri falls in the dark zone.

    “Mann has been never heard speaking about sports, education and health system,” says the Congress candidate.

    “I do not find him sincere about Dhuri constituency,” says Goldy and added that, “If he is so sincere, then he should first resign as an MP and then fight polls from Dhuri”.

    Had he done something for the people of the state, he would not have needed to show the Delhi model to the people of Punjab, says Goldy.

    Noting that Mann was never seen in Dhuri except during the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Goldy says being an MP he could have done something for the people of Dhuri.

    Goldy asked Mann to hold an open debate with him to give an account of any development work which he carried out for Dhuri constituency.

    “I challenge him to hold an open debate with me. He should tell his best five development works and I will also share my five best development activities,” says Goldy.

    The Congress candidate is running a ‘Dhuri Meri Mitti, Dhuri Mera Parivar’ (Dhuri my land, Dhuri my family) poll campaign in his constituency and going door-to-door for canvassing.

    He says he belongs to Dhuri while the AAP and SAD candidates are “outsiders.”

    Goldy was elected MLA in 2017 after he defeated the AAP candidate Jasvir Singh by a margin of 2,811 votes.

    Dhuri is primarily a rural segment comprising 74 villages.

    It has 1.63 lakh voters including 77,000 women.

  • Congress announces 23 more candidates for Punjab polls, fields former CM Harcharan Brar’s relative from Muktsar

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday released its second list of 23 candidates for Punjab assembly elections, fielding former chief minister Harcharan Singh Brar’s daughter-in-law Karan Brar from Muktsar.

    With this, the party has so far announced 109 candidates of the total 117 assembly seats in Punjab.

    Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu’s aide Smit Singh has been fielded from Amargarh assembly seat, while former Punjab chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhathal’s son-in-law Vikram Bajwa got the ticket from Sahnewal assembly constituency.

    Former Punjab minister Ashwani Sekhri has been again fielded from his Batala assembly seat, which he lost last time.

    Former MLA Harchand Kaur has been fielded from Mehal Kalan (SC) constituency.

    Sitting MLA from Bhoa (SC) seat Joginder Pala has been fielded from the same constituency and Ramanjeet Singh Sikki from Khadoor Sahib constituency.

    The party has also fielded Vijay Kalra from Guru Har Sahai, after its sitting MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh Sodhi switched over to the BJP.

    Ashu Bangar, who switched over to the Congress from the AAP, has been fielded from Ferozepur rural.

    The party has dropped Amrik Singh Dhillon from Samrala and fielded Raja Gill in his place.

    The party denied ticket to the sitting MLAs of Ferozepur Rural, Samrala, Amargarh and Shutrana assembly seats.

    Notably, the Congress is yet to announce the candidates from eight assembly seats, including Patiala Urban from where former chief minister Amarinder Singh is the sitting legislator.

    Amarinder Singh had recently floated the Punjab Lok Congress and is contesting the election in alliance with the BJP.

    The party is yet to name candidates from Nawanshahr, currently represented by party legislator Angad Saini and Jalalabad .

    Voting for Punjab’s 117 Assembly seats is scheduled for February 20 and the counting will take place on March 10.

  • Many in Punjab Congress want Charanjit Singh Channi to be CM face; top brass says fighting polls under collective leadership

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: There is a growing clamour within the Punjab Congress over the need to declare a chief ministerial candidate for next month’s assembly polls, with many senior leaders throwing their weight behind Charanjit Singh Channi, the state’s first chief minister from the schedule caste community.

    Though the Congress high command has so far maintained that the party will fight the February 20 elections to the 117-member assembly under a “collective leadership”, many leaders in its state unit are seeking that the air surrounding the issue be cleared at the earliest.

    The party had declared its chief ministerial candidate ahead of the elections in 2012 and 2017, senior leader and minister Brahm Mohindra said, adding that Channi has proved himself in the role in just three months.

    ALSO READ: AAP announces remaining four candidates; Congress launches massive campaign

    “There should not be any confusion in the party about announcing the CM candidate when there is already one who has proved himself beyond everybody’s expectations,” he said.

    Channi became chief minister last year after Amarinder Singh was made to resign from the post by the Congress.

    The clamour on the issue grows in the Congress’ state unit in the backdrop of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is emerging as strong contender for the polls, declaring its MP and state unit chief Bhagwant Mann as its chief ministerial candidate.

    The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which has been the Congress’ main rival, may not have formally named its candidate for the chief minister’s post, but its president Sukhbir Singh Badal is the likely choice.

    ALSO READ: As Channi mulls legal options against Kejriwal, Amarinder attacks Punjab CM

    The need to declare a chief ministerial candidate becomes more important for the Congress as the AAP has named Bhagwant Mann as its candidate, while the SAD are projecting Sukhbir Badal for the post, Mohindra said.

    Mohindra’s cabinet colleague Rana Gurjeet Singh has too thrown his weight behind Channi, saying raising a question mark about his continuation as chief minister, after the party comes back to power, can prove to suicidal.

    “Channi has done an exceedingly outstanding job in just three months,” Rana Gurjeet Singh said.

    Cabinet minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Shahkot MLA Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia are also backing the idea of having Channi as chief ministers if the party succeed in the polls.

    ALSO READ: Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi is losing from Chamkaur Sahib, claims Arvind Kejriwal

    However, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, who was in Chandigarh this week, while replying to a question on the issue, said, “Sidhu ji Punjab Congress ke sardar hain (Navjot Singh Sidhu is Punjab Congress chief), Channi ji government ke sardar hain (Channi is chief minister), and we will contest elections under collective leadership.”

    A survey ‘Who should be the CM face of the Congress in Punjab?’ on Twitter by Nikhil Alva, an aide of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, shows that Channi is the choice with maximum 68.7 per cent of the total 1,283 voters in the survey responding in his favour.

    While this may not be a party survey, but it also showed that 11.5 per cent voters batted for Sidhu followed by 9.3 per cent in favour of Sunil Jakhar while 10.4 per cent said there was no need for a chief ministerial cnadidate.

    ALSO READ: ‘People of Punjab want change’ – Mann reacts after AAP fields him from Dhuri seat

    The Congress on January 17 shared a short video, showing actor Sonu Sood, whose sister is contesting on a party ticket from Moga, saying “the real CM” will be the one who deserves to be at the post and not that person who declares himself to be the chief ministerial candidate.

    The 36-second video on Twitter, which was retweeted by the Punjab Congress, ends with visuals of Charanjit Singh Channi at different programmes and events.

    Even Channi, who is from the scheduled caste community, which enjoys a sizeable presence in the state, had recently said that the Congress should declare its chief ministerial candidate and pointed out that it has been seen in the past that doing so has favoured the party reap electoral gains.

    The Congress has gone on a counter offensive following attacks by opposition parties, including the AAP, the SAD and the BJP, in the wake of the recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids in which cash amounting to over Rs 10 crore, including about Rs 8 crore was seized, from a relative of Channi, in connection with an anti-money laundering investigation against illegal sand-mining operations in the poll-bound state.

    The party’s state unit has launched a campaign on social media stating that the entire state is with Charanjit Singh Channi and blaming the BJP-led Centre for trying to defame Punjab’s first chief minister from the scheduled caste community.

  • Punjab minister Brahm Mohindra bats for Channi as CM face

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Punjab minister and Congress leader Brahm Mohindra on Wednesday said the party should declare its CM face for next month’s state Assembly polls while stressing that Charanjit Singh Channi has proved himself in the role in just three months.

    The local bodies minister said the Congress Party had set the tradition of declaring its chief ministerial candidate ahead of the elections in 2012 and 2017.

    “It should continue with that tradition and announce the candidate sooner than later,” he said in a statement.

    “There should not be any confusion in the party about announcing the chief ministerial candidate when there is already one who proved himself beyond everybody’s expectations,” Mohindra said.

    Mohindra said it has become all the more important when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced Bhagwant Mann as its CM candidate and Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal has already been projecting Sukhbir Singh Badal.

    “Under such circumstances, the Congress Party cannot afford to leave any vacuum as it can prove detrimental to the party’s interests”, he said.

    “That too when we have far better choice than others, tried and tested,” he said.

    A few days ago, Cabinet minister Rana Gurjeet Singh had asserted that Channi had done an “exceedingly outstanding job” during just three months.

    He had said that raising a question mark about his continuation as the CM after party comes back to power can prove to be suicidal.

    “The issue of chief ministership was already settled for the Congress in Punjab three months back and there is no need for any further debates or discussions about it,” Rana had said in a statement.

    He had regretted that confusing signals were being circulated about the fate of the chief minister when he is leading from the front and that too when elections had already been announced.

  • Punjab polls: Sanyukt Samaj Morcha declares 17 more candidates

    By PTI

    LUDHIANA: The Sanyukt Samaj Morcha, a political front of farmer unions, on Wednesday evening released another list of 17 candidates for next month’s Punjab Assembly polls.

    Prem Singh Bhangu said the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM) has announced 57 candidates so far and the rest will be announced in the next two or three days.

    According to the list of candidates, Harpreet Singh will contest from Dharamkot, Meghraj Ralla from Zira, Krishan Chauhan from Budhlada, Gurditta Singh from Nihal Singh Wala, Navjot Singh Saini from from Dera Bassi , Satwant Singh from Lehragaga, Harvinder Singh from Rajpura and Principal Gurnam Kaur from Baba Bakala.

    Jasbir Singh Brar will fight from Talwandi Sabo, Amarjit Singh Aasal from Amritsar West, Davinder Singh from Roopnagar, Apar Singh Randhawa from Amritsar East, Dharmender from Patiala Rural, Mandeep Singh Sarpanch from Nakodar, Thekedar Bhagwan Dass Sidhu from Sham Chaurasi, Jagjit Singh Kalanaur from Dera Baba Nanak and Master Daljit Singh from Khemkaran.

    Bhangu said,”We will contest all 117 seats in alliance with the BKU (Chaduni).”

    The Sanyukt Samaj Morcha on Monday had announced a pre-poll alliance with the Gurnam Singh Chaduni-led political outfit for the February 20 Punjab Assembly polls.

    Various Punjab farmer bodies that had taken part in the stir against the Centre’s now withdrawn farm laws had launched their political front the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha last month and had announced to contest the Assembly polls.

    Voting for Punjab’s 117 Assembly seats is scheduled for February 20 and the counting will take place on March 10.

  • Making Bhagwant Mann CM face reflects AAP’s ‘bankruptcy’, says Sukhbir Badal

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday said making Bhagwant Mann as the chief ministerial face reflected the “complete bankruptcy” of the Aam Aadmi Party.

    The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader also called Mann as a “dummy face”, alleging that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would be the “real face” of the AAP in the state.

    Badal was reacting to the announcement of AAP declaring Mann as the chief ministerial face for the February 20 Assembly polls.

    Earlier in the day, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had announced the results of the party’s “Janta Chunegi Apna CM” drive, in which it had asked the people of Punjab who should be its choice for the top post.

    On the other hand, Punjab Minister and Congress leader Raj Kumar Verma dubbed the AAP’s exercise to pick up its CM face as farce, saying people of Punjab won’t be befooled with this as they have already made up their mind to bring back the Congress to power.

    Badal, meanwhile, said the AAP has fallen back on “compromised” candidate Bhagwant Mann as no one was ready to lead the party in Punjab.

    Terming the nomination of Mann as “a stage managed non-event”, the SAD president said Kejriwal never wanted to make him the face of the party in Punjab.

    “He has been saying so at Mann’s face while asserting that the party was looking for a capable candidate. It is also a fact that AAP sounded off a number of prospective candidates but each and every one of them refused to lead the party. This is why the responsibility has been thrust on Bhagwant after a make believe survey,” said Badal in a statement here.

    He said making Mann the face of the party reflected the “complete bankruptcy” of the AAP.

    Badal said, “A desperate public relation exercise is underway to wash away Mann’s omissions and commissions and project him as a leader who can take on the mantle of chief minister even though his wayward and irresponsible conduct is well known to each and everyone.”

    Badal said Kejriwal cannot take Punjabis to be so “naive” as to approve his “rubber stamped” candidate.

    “They need strong and decisive leadership as well as a leader with a proven track record of conducting swift development as well as ensuring law and order and peace and communal harmony in this border state. Bhagwant Mann does not fit this bill,” said Badal.

    Later, Badal said in a tweet, “AAP’s newly nominated CM face @BhagwantMann is a dummy. AAP is running its campaign on ‘ek mauka Kejriwal nu’. Will it now uproot boards put up across Pb, changing it to ‘ek mauka Bhagwant Mann nu’? Obviously not. @ArvindKejriwal continues to be the real face of AAP in Punjab.”

    Meanwhile, BJP general secretary Tarun Chugh slammed AAP for choosing Mann and recalled how the AAP Punjab unit chief was castigated in the Lok Sabha for his “inebriated” behaviour and how some of the Lok Sabha members had complained against him.

    “But AAP does not care for it all and by engineering so-called people’s vote through social media has paved the way for a tarnished leader to become the chief minister face,” Chugh said.

    It has sent serious signals to Punjab as to how AAP would be governing if at all it comes to power, he said in the statement.

  • AAP government in Punjab to ensure security to PM, common people: Kejriwal’s jibe at Modi, Congress

    Last week, PM Modi's convoy was stuck on a flyover when he was on his way to Hussainiwala in Ferozepur district to visit National Martyr's Memorial.

  • Sanyukt Samaj Morcha leader Balbir Singh Rajewal rules out alliance with AAP in Punjab

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Sanyukt Samaj Morcha leader Balbir Singh Rajewal on Sunday ruled out the alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party for next month’s Punjab Assembly polls and said they will declare their candidates within a week.

    Various Punjab farmer bodies who had taken part in the stir against the Centre’s now withdrawn farm law had launched their political front last month and announced to contest the Assembly polls.

    The Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM) leaders on Sunday held talks with farmer leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni, who had launched the Sanyukt Sangharsh Party to contest the polls.

    Addressing the media here, Rajewal said the Morcha will not have a tie-up with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

    He termed as “baseless” the suggestions that his political front wanted 60 seats while AAP offered only 10.

    Asked if they will tie-up with any other party, Rajewal said, “We will see when the time comes.”

    The leader said the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha has formed three committees, scrutiny committee for shortlisting of candidates, parliamentary board and a manifesto committee.

    “We will come out with our first list of candidates in two-three days and within a week, all candidates will be announced,” said Rajewal.

    Asked if only farmers will be the contestants, Rajewal said the candidates will be from every section of society, including the Scheduled Castes community and traders.

    Chaduni, who is the chief of the Haryana BKU (Chaduni), held a meeting with the SSM leaders and said he has decided not to announce candidates of his party.

    His outfit has halted the announcement of 10 candidate which it wanted to field, Chaduni told reporters here referring to his talks with the SSM.

    Asked if there were any talks with them on seat sharing, he said, “As things progress, we will let you know.”

    Asked if he could merge his outfit with the SSM, Chaduni said it is premature to comment on this.

    Asked about the meeting with Chaduni, Rajewal said the SSM has formed a committee, which will go into what is their requirement and accordingly a decision will be taken.

    “How many tickets they want, how many we can give, this will be decided by the committee,” said Rajewal.

    To a question on the PM’s security lapse in Ferozepur, Rajewal said farmers were not involved in it and demanded that security agencies should probe in this regard.

  • BJP using central agencies to trigger defections ahead of polls: Sidhu

    Addressing a rally organised by local MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, Sidhu said rival political leaders are being asked to either join the BJP or be put behind bars.