Congress election panel takes along all

Tribune News Service

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New Delhi, November 4

Congress president Sonia Gandhi today approved a 34-member Punjab Election Committee (PEC) to look at candidatures for 117 segments for 2017 state elections and forward panels to the state election screening committee announced a few days ago.

The panel will be led by state Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh with senior leaders Charanjit Singh Channi, Ambika Soni, Partap Singh Bajwa, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Sunil Jakhar and HS Hanspal among members.

Also on the panel, representing a mix of young and old leaders will be Rajya Sabha MP SS Dullo, former Puducherry LG Virender Kataria, former MP Mohinder Singh Kaypee, former state Congress chief Lal Singh, sitting Lok Sabha MPs Choudhry Santokh Singh and Ravneet Bittu, MLAs Ashwani Sekhri and Kuljit Nagra; KL Sharma; former Union ministers Manish Tewari and Preneet Kaur, ex-Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and senior SC leader Raj Kumar Verka have also been included in the committee along with Surinder Singla, Brahm Mohindra, Vijay Inder Singla, Youth Congress president and Gidderbaha MLA Amrinder Raja Warring, Gurpreet Kanger, Rana Gurjeet and AS Bhatti.

Also in the list of members are Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Navtej Singh Cheema, and Punjab SC cell head Raj Kumar Chabbewal. Presidents of all Congress frontal organisations in Punjab, including Mahila Congress, Youth Congress, NSUI and Seva Dal, will be in the panel which will look at the list of candidates for the elections.

The PEC will send the panels to the Punjab Congress Screening Committee which will shortlist candidates and send the panel for a final decision to the Sonia-led central poll panel.

Akali leader rejoins Cong

Chandigarh: Ranjit Singh Rana, an Akali leader from Kapurthala, on Friday rejoined the Congress. Rana, who had joined the SAD in 2004, quit the party after being "completely disillusioned with its brand of criminal politics". A press statement issued by the PPCC said Rana, senior vice-president and press secretary of the Punjab Truck Operators' Union, felt the Congress was "the only viable alternative to the ruling party." — TNS