Speculations rife amidst AAP’s scheduled declaration of candidate on April 16

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, April 12

With just four days to go for the AAP’s scheduled declaration of candidate for the Jalandhar seat, there is still lack of clear consensus on the party aspirant to be fielded for the Lok Sabha elections.

As stated already by CM Bhagwant Mann, the AAP aimed at winning the Jalandhar seat at all costs.

Cabinet Minister Balkar Singh’s name is doing the rounds as the AAP’s pick for the seat. However, speculations are abound regarding the possibility of the AAP fielding Phillaur MLA and Congress leader Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary from the seat.

Till today, rumours regarding AAP keen on fielding Pawan Tinu from the seat were also doing rounds, but he repeatedly denied this and said that he had no plans on leaving SAD.

The Congress, whose front runner candidate for the seat is former CM Charanjit Singh Channi, is also keen to prevent Chaudhary’s walkout from the party. Jalandhar gave the AAP the only MP in the state after its leader Sushil Kumar Rinku won the 2023 Jalandhar bypoll with a fat margin of 58,000 votes. AAP was left in lurch when Rinku left the party and joined the BJP earlier this year.

Outsiders have left AAP volunteers dejected. Rinku’s election campaign last year saw hectic work by the party, along with a slew of roadshows by Mann and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal across Jalandhar district.

Volunteers, however, recently received a morale boost after Mann met them which was followed by a meeting with local leaders during which the Punjab CM stressed on AAP’s resolve to win the seat at all costs.

In the wake of Rinku’s leaving the AAP and bringing volunteers hard work to a nought, chorus of party workers about not fielding an outsider from the seat has grown louder. During a conversation, AAP volunteers said Balkar Singh must be fielded from Jalandhar, given his ground presence in villages.