News Analysis India

Tag: Punjab Polls 2022

  • 2022 Punjab polls: Akali leader refuses to contest from seat announced by SAD

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Former minister and Akali leader Sikander Singh Maluka on Sunday refused to contest from Rampura Phul constituency after his name figured in the list of three candidates announced by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for the upcoming assembly polls.

    Maluka said the ticket should be given to his son Gurpreet Singh Maluka.

    The SAD on Sunday announced the names of three candidates for the 2022 assembly elections.

    It fielded Sikander Singh Maluka from Rampura Phul, Parkash Singh Bhatti from Bathinda Rural and Darshan Singh Kotfatta from Bhucho assembly seat.

    These three seats fall in Bathinda district.

    ​ALSO READ | Season of change: Former Akali minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan joins AAP ahead of Punjab polls

    “SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal has announced three more candidates for Vidhan Sabha election. Mr Sikandar S Maluka from Rampura Phul, Parkash Singh Bhatti from Bathinda Rural & Darshan Singh Kotfatta from Bhuchon assembly constituency,” said SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema in a tweet.

    After his candidature for Rampura Phul seat was announced, Maluka said his son Gurpreet Singh Maluka has been working in this constituency for the last one year and the ticket should be given to his son.

    He said the party did not consult him before announcing his name for the Rampura Phul seat.

    Maluka said he should be fielded from Maur seat.

  • Congress to contest 2022 Punjab polls under Amarinder Singh’s leadership, says Harish Rawat

    By ANI

    DEHRADUN: Amid the fresh turmoil in Punjab Congress, AICC in charge of the state Harish Rawat said the party will contest the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

    Briefing mediapersons after a meeting with a delegation of Punjab Ministers and MLAs at his residence here, Rawat said, “We will contest 2022 Punjab elections under the leadership of Captain Amarinder Singh.”

    Earlier, he said that the party had an idea of turning up of possible issues after the organisation changes in the state unit. However, he said that Congress will look into the matter and find a solution.

    Speaking to ANI, Rawat said, “This thing happens in the party. When we brought in changes in the PCC, we had an idea about possible issues that may turn up. We will find a solution. Everyone trusts Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. But suddenly what has happened, why a large number of MLAs are disappointed. We will look into the matter and try to resolve it.”

    A section of Punjab Congress leaders expressed their resentment over Amarinder Singh to party high command. They demanded the removal of him as chief minister citing his working style is harming the party and the state.

    This internal feud pours in just days after Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh on August 11 raised his concerns in front of Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi regarding the recent statements made by Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu after his appointment to the post.

    According to party sources, Amarinder Singh had ‘complained’ to Sonia Gandhi that Sidhu’s criticism of his government is not good for its smooth functioning and gives a bad impression in the public domain.

    Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu has been appointed as president of the party’s Punjab unit ahead of Assembly elections due next year.

    Sidhu’s appointment came after months of infighting in the state unit as the former cricket started had openly rebelled against Captain Amarinder Singh’s government over several issues.

    Besides Sidhu, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi has also appointed Sangat Singh Gilzian, Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Pawan Goel and Kuljit Singh Nagra as Working Presidents of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee.

    In 2017 Assembly polls, Congress won an absolute majority in the state by winning 77 seats and ousted the SAD-BJP government after 10 years. Aam Aadmi Party emerged as the second-largest party winning 20 seats in 117-member Punjab Legislative Assembly. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) could only manage to win 15 seats while the BJP secured 3 seats. (ANI)

  • Five-member delegation of Punjab ministers to meet Congress High Command in New Delhi

    By ANI

    CHANDIGARH: A five-member delegation will be leaving on Tuesday for New Delhi to meet the Congress high command to discuss the alleged “incompetency” of the Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh in tackling various issues in Punjab.

    Congress delegation includes five ministers — Tript Rajinder Bajwa, Sukhjinder Randhawa, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Charanjit Channi and Pargat Singh.

    “The Congress party has made many promises before the elections and has also fulfilled a few promises. However, few promises like drugs issue, power crisis, Dailt issues, cable network issue, no further action has been taken against these issues. The progress of the issues is not being able to get achieved. Hence, we are going to the high command in Delhi to discuss the situation in Punjab and the condition of the Congress in Punjab,” said Punjab Congress leader Charanjit Channi.

    “Tript Rajinder Bajwa, Sukhjinder Randhawa, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, MLA Pargat Singh and I have been nominated to go to meet the high command in Delhi. We have to take the fight ahead and get the problems of people solved,” added Channi.

    Reacting to the demand of people to remove Captain Amrinder Singh as the Chief Minister of Punjab, Channi said, “Today the issue is that this chief minister is unable to solve the problems of Punjab.”

    In meeting with ministers and MLAs, issues were raised that are not being resolved by Punjab CM Captain Amrinder Singh. 

  • More youths will be given tickets in 2022 Punjab polls: State Congress chief Navjot Sidhu

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday said during the upcoming state assembly polls, youths will be given more tickets than they got during the last one.

    Sidhu also trained guns at the previous SAD-BJP regime accusing them of patronising mafias in Punjab.

    Without naming anyone, the cricketer-turned-politician also took potshots at the AAP, claiming that they were after him to join their party.

    The newly appointed Punjab Pradesh Congress chief was addressing the state Youth Congress workers at the Congress Bhawan here.

    A march was also taken out by Youth Congress workers on the occasion of Independence Day.

    Addressing the gathering, Sidhu promised youths that he would honour the merit and added that he wanted youths to get opportunities.

    Any talent is nothing without any opportunity, he stressed.

    He further said he has put up a bed at the Punjab Congress Bhavan for addressing the issues of workers, a promise which he made during his installation ceremony last month.

    He said he had come to change the system which does not acknowledge workers and keep the power confined to a few people.

    “Youths will get one-and-half times more tickets than what they got earlier,” he announced.

    The Amritsar East legislator also sought to reply to his political opponents who had accused him of being after the post and power.

    Asserting that he had left the Rajya Sabha seat and other posts and asked if anybody among those criticizing him had ever left even the post of a sarpanch (village head).

    He further slammed his opponents who questioned him why he did not become power minister, a portfolio which was given to him after he was divested of the Local Government Department in 2019.

    Attacking the previous Akali regime, Sidhu said the state used to earn only Rs 40 crore per annum from the mining sector while Telangana earned Rs 47 crore in a week from the same sector.

    He further said he will eliminate the mafia word from Punjab’s map if he ever got “power of people”.

    He further said Tamil Nadu has been earning Rs 36,000 crore from the liquor business despite 50 per cent of consumption as compared to that of Punjab.

    “But we have been earning just Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 crore for the last 20 years,” he said.

    Apparently pointing towards the AAP, Sidhu said they have been accusing him of doing politics for a chair.

    “You were after Sidhu with chair in their lap. And you came to my house and asked me, Sidhu sahib, what can we do for you?” claimed Sidhu without naming the Aam Aadmi Party.

    Taking a swipe at the AAP, he added that they would write to him.

    He said they should send the letter to a “correct address”.

    On Friday, AAP leader Raghav Chadha had said he had written to Sidhu to remind him about the 2017 poll promises and had asked him to deliver on the same.

  • Amid reports of Sidhu as Punjab Congress chief, Manish Tewari tweets about ‘composition of state’

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Amid reports that Navjot Singh Sidhu, a Jat Sikh, is likely to be appointed as Punjab Congress chief, senior party leader Manish Tewari on Friday gave details of the composition of the state’s population, appearing to bat for a Hindu face for the post.

    His party colleague Pawan Dewan asked the Congress about representation of the Hindu community on key posts in the state unit.

    Tewari, who is an MP, in a tweet cited Punjab’s demography and mentioned that Sikhs constitute 57.75 per cent of the population while Hindus and Dalits constitute 38.49 and 31.94 per cent respectively.

    “Punjab is both progressive and secular… but balancing social interest groups is key. Equality is the foundation of social justice!” he said in the tweet and tagged the Congress and the party’s in-charge of Punjab affairs, Harish Rawat.

    If the party chooses to appoint Sidhu as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president then there will be two Jat Sikhs on key posts.

    Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is also a Jat Sikh.

    Currently, Sunil Jakhar is the PPCC’s president.

    Congress leader and chairman of the Punjab Large Industrial Development Board, Dewan, sought to know the representation of the Hindu community in the state unit.

    “Punjab Congress president- Jat Sikh (if Sidhu is made state Congress chief). CM-Jat Sikh. Punjab Youth Congress President- Jat Sikh Campaign Committee Chairman- Jat Sikh Hindu kaha hai (where is representation from the Hindu community)?” he tweeted Earlier this month, Chief Minister Singh had a meeting with several party leaders, mostly Hindu leaders, representing urban areas at his official residence here.

    Recently, a section of the media reported that Sidhu was likely to be announced as the PPCC chief by the party high command.

    However, Singh’s camp is opposed to making Sidhu the state chief, sources said.

    There is also talk of appointing two working presidents — a Dalit and a Hindu.

    Congress leader Sidhu has been at loggerheads with Singh and he has attacked the chief minister over the alleged delay in justice in the 2015 sacrilege and subsequent police firing incidents.

    The Congress leadership is working out a formula for Singh and Sidhu to work together.

  • ‘Punjab wants change’: Kejriwal to visit Amritsar on Monday

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he will be visiting Punjab on Monday.

    The visit comes ahead of the Assembly polls in Punjab next year.

    “Punjab wants change. The only hope is the Aam Aadmi Party. See you tomorrow at Amritsar,” Kejriwal tweeted. 

  • Kishor and team likely to camp in Punjab from May for polls next year

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH:  Almost a year ahead of the assembly polls in Punjab, election strategist Prashant Kishor, who was appointed principal advisor to CM Amarinder Singh, is likely to stay in the state from May with his team. 

    Kishor and his team will take feedback from the general public about the performance of the government and is likely to prepare a report card of the last five years of the ruling party MLAs. 

    Amarinder SinghSources said a few days ago, Kishor met first-time MLAs of the ruling Congress and also senior party legislators.

    They reportedly told him that the bureaucracy was running the government. 

    Kishor has reportedly started taking feedback from district-level officers with whom the people are dissatisfied.

    It is believed that the poll strategist would like former cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu to play a vital role. Sidhu has been out of the picture for some time now.

    He recently met Amarinder at his farm house over tea, said sources. Sources said Amarinder has deputed his political secretary Sandeep Singh Sandhu and his grandson Nirvan Singh to coordinate with Kishor, who lives in the bungalow next to the Chief Minister’s residence.

    An IAS officer has also been told to coordinate with the poll strategist. Sources said Kishor’s team is likely to be bigger than the 2017 team, in which about 250 persons worked for him.  

  • Punjab polls 2022: Sukhbir Singh Badal names Virsa Singh Valtoha as SAD candidate from Khemkaran

    By PTI
    AMARKOT: SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday announced the candidature of former chief parliamentary secretary Virsa Singh Valtoha from the Khemkaran constituency for the 2022 Punjab assembly polls.

    The announcement came a day after Badal had said that he would contest from Jalalabad constituency.

    The polls are due early next year.

    The Shiromani Akali Dal president was addressing a gathering on the occasion of the second ‘Punjab Mange Jawab’ (Punjab seeks answer) rally held here.

    Attacking the chief minister for presiding over the “worst” administration in the history of the state, the SAD president asked Amarinder Singh to tell Punjabis why he allegedly defrauded them with “false” promises.ALSO READ | SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal to contest Punjab Assembly polls 2022 from Jalalabad​

    Badal said the chief minister will have to tell people why he swore a “false” oath in the name of the holy Gutka Sahib (religious book) that he would waive all loans of farmers after forming the government in the state.

    “Punjabis want answers for the alleged fraud committed on them by the chief minister who while promising jobs to the youth also got forms signed from them and issued affidavits promising the same,” he said.

    Badal asked the chief minister to reveal “one thing” that he had done for the people and the state in the last four years.

    “Tell us one road, power grid or college you have made,” he said, adding that the situation was such that even the holy city of Amritsar was falling in disrepair and the Virasat-e-Marg was not being maintained.

    Similarly, the promised compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre to farmers ploughing land beyond the barbed wire fence was not honoured, he claimed.

    Badal praised Akali leader Valtoha for keeping the party flag flying in the constituency despite “extreme repression unleashed by Congress legislator Sukhhpal Bhullar”.

    Former minister and SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said the people of Khemkaran had given a befitting answer to Bhullar who had threatened to lodge cases against people attending the rally.

    Majithia alleged that the Congress-led government was burdening the people with fresh taxes.

    He said the prices of petroleum products in Punjab were among the highest in the country because of the “huge” value added tax imposed on them by the state government.

  • AAP totally faceless in Punjab: CM Amarinder Singh

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party is “totally faceless” in the state and its ambition to form the next government is a “pipe dream”.

    He also said that the AAP is an “outsider” in Punjab and will remain so as long as it continues to be disconnected from the state’s ground realities.

    “With just a year to go for the state Assembly polls, the AAP could not find a face from Punjab to campaign in the municipal polls and had to drag in non-entities from Delhi for electioneering! And now they claim they’ll find a chief minister’s face that will be the pride of Punjab?” he said.

    “The AAP’s ambition to rule the state is a ‘pipe-dream’ as the party is totally faceless in Punjab,” the chief minister claimed in a statement here.

    “What can a party, which sold off the farmers’ interests by implementing one of the farm laws in Delhi back in November, know of Punjab’s pride,” Singh asked.

    Far from learning from their mistakes in the past five years, the AAP continues to blunder its way through Punjab, with absolutely no understanding or concern about the problems of its people, he claimed.

    “All they see here is another state to rule, another seat of power. They do not see the pain and the problems of our people,” said Amarinder.

    The exodus of AAP leaders and members from the party’s Punjab unit over the past 2-3 years is just a tip of the iceberg, the fact is that they have no roots here, the chief minister claimed.

    “Arvind Kejriwal’s party has no existence outside Delhi and will soon be wiped out from there too, given their shameless collusion with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), at whose behest they have been trying to befool the lakhs of farmers camping outside their city for more than two months now,” he further alleged.

    Punjab neither wants nor needs such a party, said the chief minister, adding that “neither the AAP nor its Delhi model of governance is welcome in Punjab, which is “faring better than the national capital on almost every key index of development”.

    With every passing year, Kejriwal’s government is plunging the national capital lower down into the abyss of devastation, in sharp contrast to Punjab, which has seen an unprecedented growth and development in the past four years, he claimed.

    Even the much-touted health model of the Delhi government, which showed a decline by two positions on the health Index from 2015 to 2019, was completely exposed during the COVID-19 peak crisis, he pointed out, calling upon Kejriwal to focus on managing Delhi instead of “wasting precious time and resources in trying to find a footing (or a face) in Punjab or other states”.

    What Punjab needs is a solid and sincere leadership, not a “party of loud-mouth liars and deceivers”, he added.