Jalandhar: To take on turncoats, Congress relies on hardcore worker

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, June 19

Having based its entire recent Lok Sabha campaign against party hoppers, the Congress has once again chosen to field a hardcore party loyalist and former Senior Deputy Mayor Surinder Kaur (63) as its candidate for July 10 Jalandhar West bypoll.

Hailing from Ravidassia community, she has been five-time councillor from Jallowal Abadi area of Jalandhar West Assembly seat. Her husband Ram Asra Chaudhary had got elected as the Congress councillor in 1997 but he passed away in 2001. Ever since, she took over and won all five elections in a row. For the past over two decades, she had handled her home, raised her two sons, led the business of leather work and even duties as an MC — all by herself.

The party had finalised her name more than 10 days back but the announcement had been kept delayed so as to quell the rebels. As many as 20 candidates were in fray for the ticket. The return of former MP and SAD’s recent Lok Sabha candidate Mohinder Singh Kaypee back to Congress was also discussed but there remained much opposition to the proposal.

Former AAP MLA Sheetal Angural, whose resignation necessitated the bypoll, is set to file his nomination papers tomorrow as the BJP candidate. AAP candidate and son of former BJP minister Bhagat Chunni Lal, Mohinder Bhagat, is scheduled to file papers on Friday.

The candidates want to go for paper filing by tomorrow as day after shobha yatra to mark Kabir Jayanti is slated for June 21, which is also the last day to file nominations. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is expected to attend shobha yatra on Friday, especially since party candidate Mohinder Bhagat is from the 30,000-strong Kabir panthi community.