Only 6 AAP candidates in fray for ZP poll in Doaba

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 14

The extent of fall in the graph of the AAP in Punjab is clearly visible from the number of candidates fielded by the party in the Zila Parishad and Block Samiti elections.

In Doaba where the party has two MLAs, just six candidates are contesting the Zila Parishad elections in 69 seats — five in Hoshiarpur and one in Jalandhar. The party has failed to field a candidate in Kapurthala and Nawanshahr for the Zila Parishad elections. However, the party has 37 candidates for the Block Samiti poll in the region — 27 from Hoshiarpur.

The response to the poll has been most feeble in Jalandhar. Of the 505 candidates who are in the fray for the rural polls in the district, the AAP has only two candidates — one for the Zila Parishad poll and other for the Block Samiti elections. There are total 19 seats for Zila Parishad and 191 for Block Samitis. 

Of the total candidates, the Congress has fielded 299, the SAD has 254 and the BJP has 29.

In Kapurthala, a total of 227 candidates are contesting elections. The AAP has not fielded a candidate for the 10 Zila Parishad seats. 

In Block Samitis of Nadala, Phagwara and Dhilwan, the party has drawn a complete blank. There, however, are two candidates each from Kapurthala and Sultanpur Lodhi in the fray.  

Similarly, there is no AAP candidate from Nawanshahr for 15 zones of Zila Parishad. However, five candidates are contesting in 57 Block Samitis. 

In Hoshiarpur, there are 25 Zila Parishad zones and the AAP is contesting in four of them — Bhangala, Bham, Naushera Pattan and Chabbewal. There are 27 party nominees for the Block Samiti elections. In all, 587 candidates in the fray from the district — 66 for Zila Parishad and 521 for Block Samitis. 

Bholath MLA Sukhpal Khaira had already announced that he would not field any candidate and had asked his supporters to help any good candidate of their choice. 

Garhshankar MLA Jai Kishan Rori from, who also represents the AAP’s “rebel” group of MLAs, had said none of his candidates were contesting on the party symbol and they had an arrangement with the BSP. 

On fewer candidates in the fray, Dr Sanjiv Sharma, state general secretary, AAP, said, “We have asked our workers to contest on a voluntary basis.”