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PM not to contest from Amritsar
Tribune News Service

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and PPCC chief S.S. Dullo at a press conference in New Delhi. — Tribune photo: Mukesh Aggarwal

New Delhi, January 15
With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declining to contest the byelection to the Amritsar parliamentary seat, political temperature in the Capital have heated up as the Central Election Authority of the Congress is meeting tomorrow evening to decide on the candidates for the 117 Assembly and the lone Lok Sabha seat.

Neither he (PM) nor anyone from his family is contesting in Amritsar, said Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, when asked about the reports that Prime Minister might plunge into the electoral contest.

The Chief Minister said during the Prime Minister's visit to the Golden Temple town last month he had asked him whether he was planning to contest the byelection. The Prime Minister said “no.”

When asked about the Prime Minister's brother Surjit Singh Kohli’s reported interest in contesting the elections in Punjab, Amarinder Singh answered in the negative.

At present, Dr Manmohan Singh is a Rajya Sabha MP from Assam and his term ends on June 14 this year. He had lost parliamentary elections from South Delhi in 1999.

Amarinder Singh, however, stated that Dr Manmohan Singh and Mrs Sonia Gandhi would hit the campaign trail in the state in February by addressing four rallies each in Punjab.

Even though the Chief Minister failed to sustain the support of Mr Prem Singh Chandumajra, a long-time Gurcharan Singh Tohra ally, till the Assembly elections, he was successful in roping in sitting Akali MLA Nirmal Singh Shatrana. Three others, Charanjit Singh Channi (former MP), Makkan Singh (former MLA) and Ajaib Singh Patti (Punjab Provincial Service) have joined the party.

Capt Amarinder Singh said the party would be announcing the names of few others, who would be joining the Congress ranks in the coming days.

It would be development works that we have undertaken that would be the focus of the party’s campaign to return to power. “We got empty coffers from the previous Akali government, yet, without innovative schemes we did several development works. We would go to the people with positive works,” he said, adding that the party’s manifesto has been prepared.

Asked to specify one specific issue, which the party would highlight in the campaign, he said it would be the water issue, especially the SYL. With Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda expected to campaign for the Congress in Punjab in the regions adjoining it, it would be interesting to witness the fine balancing act the party would make, lest it ruffles the feathers of electorate in either state.