Congress party chief’s wife may get ticket from Bathinda

Chandigarh: Punjab Congress is likely to drop two party MPs in the Lok Sabha elections and though Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Raja Warringah and opposition leader Pratap Singh Bajwa have shown reluctance to contest the elections, the party may ask them to contest the elections.

There is a possibility that Waring’s wife Amrita may get the party ticket from Bathinda. Apart from this, there is also a possibility of exchange of seats between Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu and Anandpur Sahib MP Manish Tiwari.

Party sources said though clarity on seats and candidates is yet to emerge, discussions within the party indicate that at least two MPs may not get tickets after poor ratings in party surveys.
The AICC-appointed screening committee headed by Bhakta Charan Das reportedly discussed the results of the party surveys at least three times, especially on the removal or replacement of some MPs. The party is undecided about giving place to family members of senior leaders in ticket distribution. “Expect clarification by next week. “A screening committee will shortlist the names,” a party leader said.

Party sources said Waring and Bajwa, former minister and general secretary in-charge of Rajasthan Congress Sukhjinder Randhawa and former speaker Rana KP Singh are not interested in contesting the elections. “The final decision is yet to be taken. A senior leader said, “These leaders, including former CM Charanjit Channi, may be asked to contest the elections.”
The grand old party appears to be in a wait-and-watch situation to avoid dissent before the party’s working committee clears the names of contesting candidates. The Congress is keeping an eye on the developments in the SAD and the BJP, with reports suggesting a possibility of a formal alliance between the former allies. Sources said, SAD was hesitant in forging an alliance with BJP again due to unresolved issues.