Cong ticket hopefuls from Bhucho, Maur on tenterhooks

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 8

Waiting for the Congress to announce their names, ticket hopefuls from the Bhucho and Maur constituencies of Bathinda district are eagerly waiting to start campaigning in their areas.

Contained by the delay in the announcement, the candidates are getting anxious with every passing day.

Sure of his candidature, Pritam Singh Kotbhai, who is hopeful of securing the Congress ticket from the Bhucho constituency, was quick to take out a rally in the constituency along with his supporters.

He was stopped when a complaint was registered against him with the district Election Complaint Cell (ECC).

This time the Congress has fielded its Bhucho MLA, Ajaib Singh Bhatti, from Malout while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has fielded its Malout legislator, Harpreet Singh, from Bhucho.

Jagsir Singh, a former school teacher, is contesting the Assembly elections on the Aam Aadmi Party ticket from the Bhucho constituency.

He took premature retirement in March last year to join the AAP.

The Congress is yet to announce its candidate from the Maur constituency. The buzz doing the rounds is that after former MLA Harminder Singh Jassi was denied the ticket from the Bathinda urban constituency and Manpreet Singh Badal was preferred for the seat, the consolation offered to Jassi hinged on the probability that Maur ticket could land in his kitty.

Although, Jassi and his supporters have extended their support to Manpreet Badal, he may find it hard to wrest the seat from another hopeful Sukhraj Singh Natt.

Although Natt didn’t contest in the 2012 Assembly elections, but he contested as an Independent in 2007 from the then Joga constituency, which also comprised of Maur, after being denied the Congress ticket.

While SAD candidate Jagdeep Singh Nakai had won the seat, Natt finished second and Congress candidate Narender Bhuleria was the second runner-up.

Other Congress ticket hopefuls from the Maur constituency are singer-turned-politician Balkar Singh Sidhu and Bhupinder Singh Gora.

The Congress candidate from Maur will have to battle it out from SAD heavyweight and PWD Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon and AAP joint secretary of farmer and labour wing Jagdev Singh Kamalu.