Gurdaspur bypoll: Sonia meets Jakhar, Bajwa couple

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 19

Punjab Congress factionalism is clouding the party’s ticket distribution process for the upcoming Gurdaspur parliamentary byelection with the top brass today meeting rival groups to assess the ground situation and take a final call on the nominee.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi met Punjab unit president Sunil Jakhar, a potential candidate for the October-11 bypoll, today and soon afterwards met Rajya Sabha MP from the state Partap Singh Bajwa and his wife Charanjit Kaur, who is seeking a ticket from the segment.

Sources said Jakhar, who met Gandhi first, explained the ground situation in Gurdaspur and batted for candidate selection based on winnability and acceptance.

“If recent events are anything to go by, people have started questioning PM Narendra Modi’s policies and the BJP is beginning to appear on shaky wicket. Given this situation, the Congress has to put its best foot forward to win the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha byelection. This is especially crucial because the Congress is in power in Punjab. If we don’t win Gurdaspur LS segment, the BJP will get a shot in the arm. That scenario has to be averted,” a senior Congress leader said explaining what the party would factor in before deciding the final nominee.

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, who met Gandhi yesterday, has backed Jakhar as the candidate for the Gurdaspur seat and left the final decision to the high command. Jakhar has personally told the leadership he would do whatever is asked of him.

Bajwa, meanwhile, is seeking a ticket for his wife Charanjit Kaur, a former Qadian MLA, and is bargaining hard. Senior Congress leaders, however, feel it would be difficult for the leadership to accommodate “so many people from one family” considering Partap Bajwa is a Rajya Sabha MP and his brother Fateh Jung a sitting MLA from Qadian.

Ticket race 

While PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar apprised Sonia Gandhi of the ground situation in Gurdaspur, Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa is seeking ticket for his wife Charanjit Kaur, a former Qadian MLA

BJP may field Hardeep Puri

Gurdaspur: The name of Union Minister Hardeep Puri has started doing the rounds among the BJP circles. The candidate is to be officially announced on September 21, a day before the last date of filing nominations. Two days ago, the state BJP had submitted the names of Kavita Khanna and Swaran Salaria to the high command. Sources say Puri, a former career diplomat, may be fielded keeping in view the strong Sikh presence in the Assembly seats of Fatehgarh Churian, Dera Baba Nanak, Qadian, Gurdaspur and Batala. TNS

SAD-BJP to meet EC on ‘false’ cases 

Chandigarh: A delegation of the SAD and BJP led by BJP state president Vijay Sampla will meet the Chief Election Commission in Delhi on Wednesday to demand an independent inquiry and cancellation of “false cases” against a large number of SAD leaders belonging to Gurdaspur. The SAD will be represented by MPs Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Naresh Gujral and Daljit Singh Cheema, ex-state minister. TNS