Jalandhar byelection: Congress steps up poll campaign

Rajmeet Singh

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Chandigarh, April 6

With Sushil Rinku, who is now an AAP candidate for the Jalandhar parliamentary bypoll, the Punjab Congress leadership has stepped up its efforts to involve “ignored” Dalit leaders.

Chaudhary, Warring meet Channi

• Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary and PCC chief Amarinder Raja Warring called upon former CM Charanjit Singh Channi
• They met Channi at his residence on Wednesday and urged him to join the party campaign in Jalandhar

Having five sitting MLAs from Doaba, the Congress leadership feels that it has advantage in the Dalit-dominated belt provided the leaders sort out their differences. Before the 2024 General Election, the Jalandhar bypoll will be the litmus test for the Congress.

Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary and PCC chief Amarinder Raja Warring called upon former CM Charanjit Singh Channi at his residence on Wednesday evening. They asked him to join the party campaign in Jalandhar.

Sources close to Channi said till yesterday, no one had asked him to join the campaign. The party’s candidate, Karamjit Kaur, and her MLA son Vikramjit Chaudhary are expected to meet the former CM, before he starts the campaign.

With Rinku shifting to AAP, the anxiety among party leadership has brought into focus “ignored” former PCC chief Mohinder Kaypee, who in the past few months has been seen among the group of leaders supporting Navjot Singh Sidhu. In the last Assembly poll, he was denied ticket from the Adampur Assembly segment.

Sources in the party said there was reservation among certain MLAs on the CLP meeting’s decision on March 6 to name Karamjit Kaur, widow of former MP Santokh Chaudhary, as the candidate.

Citing the decision of the CLP meeting, PCC chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Leader of Opposition Partap Bajwa had recommended her name in a communication to AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal. “Since it was the decision of party top brass to give her the ticket, there was no chance of any replacement,” said a senior leader.

On April 8, Sidhu is expected to meet Karamjit Kaur, party’s candidate from Jalandhar elections. It is be seen whether Sidhu joins the senior party leadership during his Jalandhar visit.