Hoshiarpur Congress candidate Yamini Gomar had fought on AAP ticket 10 yrs ago

Jalandhar, April 22

Congress on Monday chose to give ticket to its worker and IELTS coaching centre owner Yamini Gomar (49) from Hoshiarpur (reserved) Lok Sabha seat.

MP Som Parkash’s wife is BJP candidate

Hoshiarpur has another woman candidate- Anita Som Parkash, wife of sitting BJP MP Som Parkash. SAD on Monday gave ticket to ex-minister Sohan Singh Thandal from this seat and BSP has already announced a lesser known candidate Rakesh Suman.

An Aam Aadmi Party candidate in 2014 Lok Sabha election, Gomar had secured 2.13 lakh votes in the first ‘AAP wave’ then, standing third and losing to Bharatiya Janata Party’s Vijay Sampla. Having remained a member of the AAP national executive, she had quit the party in 2016 alleging dictatorial attitude of the party.

Gomar had then joined the Congress but had remained politically inactive in all these seven years. She was hardly participating in any of the party events and was devoting full time to her training centre. She is a commerce graduate by qualification.

In 2019, Congress had fielded Raj Kumar Chabbewal as its candidate but this time, he shifted allegiance to AAP and is its candidate. Since his departure, the party had been exploring the possibility of fielding other leaders, including Adampur MLA Sukhwinder Kotli, ex-Sham Chaurasi MLA Pawan Adia or ex-MP Santosh Chowdhary or her daughter but finally zeroed on Gomar.

Gomar, when contacted said, “I shall be contesting Lok Sabha elections after 10 years and this time, I am very hopeful. By giving its ticket to a simple, family-oriented woman like me, the party has set a new precedent. I shall definitely strive hard and prove them correct in their choice,” she said.

Hoshiarpur has another woman candidate- Anita Som Parkash, wife of sitting BJP MP and Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash. Shiromani Akali Dal today gave ticket to ex-minister Sohan Singh Thandal from this seat and Bahujan Samaj Party has already announced a lesser known candidate Rakesh Suman.