Jalandhar bypoll: Congress candidate Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary files nomination papers

Chandigarh, April 13

Congress candidate for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary filed her nomination papers on Thursday, accompanied by the entire party leadership in Punjab.

Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa, former chief ministers Charanjit Singh Channi and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and former MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu were among those who accompanied her.

The Congress’ in-charge of party affairs in Punjab Harish Chaudhary, MLA Raj Kumar, former ministers Brahm Mohindra and Bharat Bhushan Ashu and former Punjab Assembly speaker Rana KP Singh too arrived in Jalandhar to support Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary.

Polling for the Jalandhar parliamentary seat will take place on May 10 and the counting of votes on May 13.

The bypoll has been necessitated following the death of Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary (76) in January. He died after suffering a cardiac arrest during the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jalandhar’s Phillaur. Karamjit Kaur is his wife.

The filling of nomination papers started on Thursday and the last date is April 20.

The ruling AAP has nominated former Congress MLA Sushil Rinku, while the Shiromani Akali Dal has fielded two-time MLA Dr Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi.

The BJP has named Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, who quit the Akali Dal to join the party recently, as its candidate for the bypoll.

The Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll it is going to be a litmus test for the ruling AAP in the state which will be eyeing a win after it lost the Sangrur Lok Sabha by-election last year.