Punjab Congress panel 'finalises' 50 poll candidates

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 29

Having reached a consensus over candidates on at least 50 seats in Punjab, the Congress will now conduct another quick survey on seats with more than one strong contender.

Discussions in this regard were held at a meeting of the AICC-appointed screening committee for Punjab elections in Delhi on Wednesday late evening. The party has already conducted multiple surveys to determine the ‘winnability’ of aspirants.

The final list will be released by the central election committee (CEC) headed by Sonia Gandhi. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Ajay Maken. Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi, PPCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, former PPCC president Sunil Jakhar and Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary were present. The Congress wants to release its first list of candidates ahead of the announcement of the model code of conduct to counter BJP’s efforts to poach its leaders. The screening committee today held discussions on seats where new faces are to be fielded.

There are indications that 10-15 sitting legislators could be replaced.