Jakhar Cong’s Gurdaspur choice

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 20

Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar will contest the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha byelection.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi today cleared the nomination of 63-year-old Jakhar after his name was recommended by Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh for the high stakes October 11 bypoll.

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This will be Jakhar’s first electoral run outside the Abohar Assembly segment that he has represented thrice (2002, 2007 and 2012). He had lost the 2017 poll from Abohar with BJP’s greenhorn Arun Narang defeating him by a margin of 3,000 votes.

The Congress announced Jakhar’s name after placating former Gurdaspur MP Partap Singh Bajwa, who was demanding the ticket for wife Charanjit Kaur, a former lawmaker from Qadian. 

Party sources said the Bajwas had been promised “suitable adjustment” in Punjab, where the Congress needed to win Gurdaspur to cement its political strength being the party in power.

“Suitable adjustment” means handing down to their family member chairpersonship of an important board, like the Punjab Pollution Control Board.

Meanwhile, winning Gurdaspur is being seen as a prestige issue for Capt Amarinder. “The Congress cannot afford a defeat. Betting on a potential winner was crucial. Jakhar’s political profile was the best among that of other contenders,” an AICC source said.

The party may still have to contend with the Bajwa factor in Gurdaspur where Partap Singh and his wife hold some political sway. 

If the Congress wins the seat, it would have four MPs from Punjab. More importantly, it would deal a body blow to the BJP , which is yet to announce its candidate. BJP’s Vinod Khanna was holding the seat before he died earlier this year.