No compromise on ‘one family, one ticket’: Capt

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 16

Describing the first list of Congress candidates as balanced, Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh today said the party would make no compromise on the rules framed for ticket distribution.

“There will be absolutely no bending of two rules. The first is to give one ticket per family. The second is not to let sitting MLAs in general Assembly seats swap their segments. These two decisions are final and will not be changed for anyone,” Amarinder said in an interview to The Tribune today.

Asked to comment on the delay in the declaration of all candidates, considering that 56 names are yet to be announced, he said the Punjab Congress screening committee had completed the exercise of recommending candidates and the final list would be declared soon as the Central Election Committee (CEC) of the party, headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, met. “We have cleared almost all seats except a few in the screening panel,” he said.

Amarinder added that the CEC was not likely to meet before Tuesday and that the next list should be expected only after its next meeting.

The delay is happening due to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s tour programme beginning with Goa tonight. Rahul will be here on Tuesday.

Amarinder denied any friction within the screening committee on the nominations and said, “There will be no compromise on winnnability. The best candidates will be fielded. That is what everyone is working on.”

Asked what the Congress was doing about the segments where the sitting MLAs are seeking a replacement – such as Sanaur MLA Lal Singh, who wants to contest from another seat, and Indian Youth Congress president Amrinder Raja Warring, who wants to leave his seat (Gidderbaha) – Amarinder said, “Swapping will only be allowed for reserved seats. The first list reflects that intention.”

He was alluding to the renomination of former CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal from Lehra, even though she had requested the party to field her from Sunam after Akali minister Parminder Dhindsa (who earlier used to fight from Sunam) shifted to Lehra.