Manish Tewari, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Malvinder Kang among top contenders for Anandpur Sahib Lok Sabha seat

Tribune News Service

Arun Sharma

Anandpur Sahib, march 7

The race for the tickets among various parties for the upcoming Lok Sabha (LS) elections is picking pace in Anandpur Sahib Constituency. Shiromani Akali Dal senior leader and party spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema has already publicly staked his claim to party ticket despite the fact that Prem Singh Chandumajra was fielded by SAD twice consecutively from here till he lost to Congress candidate Manish Tewari last time in 2019.

SAD’S CHANDUMAJRA LOST TO CONGRESS’ MANISH TEWARI IN 2019 LOK SABHA POLLS

• SAD leader Prem Singh Chandumajra had defeated senior Congress leader Ambika Soni in 2014. He lost to Congress candidate Manish Tiwari in 2019. SAD senior leader and party spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema has also publicly staked his claim to party ticket
• From Congress, Manish Tewari, sitting MP from here, is likely to be fielded again. Other party leaders including former minister Pargat Singh, Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjit Singh, former speaker Rana KP Singh, former Punjab Youth Congress president Brinder Singh Dhillon and former MLA Angad Singh Saini are also in queue
• Malvinder Singh Kang, AAP’s chief spokesperson, has expressed his willingness to contest as AAP candidate. Jalandhar-based social worker and promoter of Punjabi language and culture Deepak Bali is also in the race
• From the BJP, senior leaders like Avinash Rai Khanna, Subhash Sharma (BJP state vice-president) and Ajayvir Singh Lalpura are in the race. Ajayvir is BJP’s Ropar district president and the son of National Commission for Minorities Chairperson Iqbal Singh Lalpura

Chandumajra is also confident of the party ticket from here as he had registered his win defeating senior Congress leader Ambika Soni in 2014. Cheema being active in the area since 2009 contesting parliamentary elections and subsequently winning in 2012 from Ropar Assembly, has asserted his right over the party ticket this time.

From Congress party, Manish Tewari, also the sitting Member of Parliament, is likely to be fielded again from here. Other party leaders, including former cabinet minister Pargat Singh, former Punjab Youth Congress president Brinder Singh Dhillon and former Nawashahr MLA Angad Singh Saini are also in queue in case the party high command decides to field Tewari from some other constituency. According to sources, former Punjab Assembly speaker Rana KP Singh and former cabinet minister and sitting Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjit Singh will also be willing to get party ticket from here under such circumstances.

Meanwhile, Malvinder Singh Kang who rose from student politics of Panjab University where he was elected union president twice before becoming Aam Adami Party (AAP) Anandpur Sahib (Lok Sabha Constituency) in-charge and party’s chief spokesperson, has also expressed his willingness to contest as AAP candidate. Jalandhar based social worker and promoter of Punjabi language and culture Deepak Bali is also in the race. Bali, belonging to Gondpur village near Garhshankar, is AAP’s media in-charge of Himachal Pradesh. Bali, claiming to be a local, has sought the party ticket.

From the BJP, senior leaders like Avinash Rai Khanna, Subhash Sharma and Ajayvir Singh Lalpura are in the race. Khanna, the national vice president of the party was Member Parliament from Hoshiarpur during 2004-09 when it comprised of large part of present Anandpur Sahib Lok Sabha Constituency.

Ajayvir Singh Lalpura, who is the son of National Commission for Minorities Chairperson Iqbal Singh Lalpura, and is also BJP’s Ropar district president, is quite active in the constituency. Subhash Sharma is the vice president of Punjab unit of BJP.

Anandpur Sahib Lok Sabha Constituency comprises of nine assembly segments: Ananadpur Sahib, Ropar, Chamkaur Sahib, Mohali, Kharar, Balachaur, Nawanshahr, Banga and Garhshankar.

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