AAP announces 3 more candidates

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, March 24

After efforts to stitch an alliance with “like-minded” parties failed, the Aam Aadmi Party today announced three more candidates in Punjab, fielding Justice Zora Singh (retd) from Jalandhar, Baljinder Singh Chaundha from Fatehgarh Sahib and Peter Masih Cheeda from Gurdaspur.

With this, the party has named candidates for eight of the 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. The AAP leadership said the nominees for the remaining five constituencies, including Bathinda, Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Khadoor Sahib and Patiala, would be announced soon. 

The candidates were selected at the party’s core committee meeting here in the evening. “Our core committee unanimously decided to field Justice Zora Singh (retd) from Jalandhar, Baljinder Singh Chaundha from Fatehgarh Sahib and Peter Masih Cheeda from Gurdaspur. Discussions are also almost final on the names of the remaining five candidates and their names will be announced in two-three days,” said Bhagwant Mann, Punjab AAP chief and an MP from Sangrur.

Among those who attended the meeting were Punjab Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema, deputy leader Sarbjit Kaur Manuke, MLAs Kultar Singh Sandhwa, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and Amarjit Singh. The meeting was presided over by core committee chairman Budh Ram. 

“The talks for an alliance with the SAD-Taksali 

are over. We will fight on our own and ensure Punjab gets rid of corrupt parties such as the Akali Dal and the Congress. We invited other parties to join our crusade, but they didn’t appear serious,” Cheema added. 

About the new candidates, Cheema said all of them were “dedicated party workers”. “Our party always gives ticket to candidates with a clean image. All of them will begin their campaign tomorrow,” said Cheema. 

Punjab goes to the polls in a single phase in the last and the seventh phase on May 19.