The Congress on Saturday named Gidderbaha MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring for Bathinda and sitting MP Sher Singh Ghubaya for Ferozepur parliamentary seats, ending the battle of wits with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which is yet to name its candidates for both the segments.
Warring, 41, a two-time MLA from Gidderbaha and a former president of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), had offered to take on sitting Bathinda MP Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal. The SAD is, however, yet to declare Harsimrat’s candidature. With his nomination, the party has also fulfilled the criteria of naming at least one youth candidate.
From Ferozepur, the party has decided on Ghubaya, keeping in mind that Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal has given indications of contesting from the Akali bastion. Hailing from the Rai Sikh community, which holds sway over the seat, Ghubaya has won from here twice in a row since 2009 on the SAD ticket. He joined the Congress in March this year and hinted at fighting as a rebel if the party ignored his claim.
In naming Ghubaya, the party has also balanced power equations in the state unit, between chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar, who was vehemently opposed to candidature of Amarinder loyalist, sports minister Rana Gurmit Sodhi from Ferozepur.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi has allowed Amarinder to have his way on some key seats, including Anandpur Sahib and Sangrur.
Warring’s Gidderbaha seat falls in the reserved parliamentary constituency of Faridkot but the three neighbouring assembly segments — Bathinda rural, Lambi (represented by former CM Parkash Singh Badal) and Bhucho Mandi — fall in the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat.
An elated Warring’s first salvo was at the Akali Dal over not naming its sitting MP. “Are they not confident of Harsimrat winning? If she is shifted to Ferozepur, it will reinforce the belief that she ran away from Bathinda,” he said.
With the last two names too out of the Congress kitty, the party has declared all its 13 candidates two days before filing of nominations begin on Monday
First Published:
Apr 21, 2019 04:20 IST
Source: HindustanTimes