Sukhpal Khaira and Congress exercise their muscles in Bhagwant Mann’s home ground of Sangrur.
Sukhpal Khaira
The party has challenged Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in his home district of Sangrur by fielding its firebrand leader, Sukhpal Khaira, from the constituency, which Mann has previously held, on the first list of six candidates released by the Congress.
Along with Sangrur, the party has put up former chief minister Charanjit Channi to oppose the chief minister once more from the Jalandhar seat. “We have thrown a strong challenge for the CM after he said that winning Jalandhar and Sangrur was a matter of prestige,” CLP leader Partap Singh Bajwa said.
Party insiders believe that Sukhpal Khaira, the current MLA from Bholath, was the finest defense against AAP pride because she was an outspoken leader and the target of an AAP political vengeance.
Amidst the potential threat of opposition poaching, the party has chosen to field its two current MPs, GS Aujla from Amritsar and Dr. Amar Singh from Fatehgarh Sahib, while using a wait-and-watch strategy.
ON BAISAKHI, DEVOTEES IN PUNJAB AND HARYANA PRAY IN GURDWARAS.
Party leaders argued that Dr. Dharamvira Gandhi was the best option because there was a leadership vacuum in Patiala following the departure of Capt. Amarinder Singh and his wife from the party, despite objections from local leaders in Patiala. Despite the fact that OBC voters predominate in the Patiala seat, the party has favored a Hindu face. Party leaders believe that the Congress’s image has improved since Dr. Gandhi was inducted.
For the crucial seat of Bathinda, the party ignored protest by local leaders to field Jeet Mohinder Sidhu. Being a four-time MLA, Sidhu has vast experience with him.
The six candidates in poll fray
In 2014, Amar Singh held the position of vice-president within the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. In 2019, he was elected to the House of Commons as Fatehgarh Sahib. In addition to serving in various capacities in Madhya Pradesh and the Central Government, the ex-IAS official continued to serve as executive director of the FCI.
From 2012 until 2022, Charanjit Channi was the MLA for Chamkaur Sahib. From December 2015 until November 2016, he was still the Assembly’s Leader of the Opposition. In September 2021, he was appointed as the 16th Chief Minister of Punjab, having served as Cabinet Minister in the Congress administration of 2017.
In 2007, 2017, and 2022, Sukhpal Singh Khaira served as the Bholath constituency’s MLA. From July 2017 until July 2018, he led the opposition from the AAP and then returned to the Congress. He is the head of the All-India Kisan Congress.
Reputable cardiac surgeon Dharamvira Gandhi treats the poor and destitute for free. has spent the last thirty years managing his NGO. On an AAP ticket, he was elected MP for Patiala in 2014, although he later quit the party. In 2016 he resigned from the AAP. Dharamvira founded Punjab Front, a political party, and ran for parliament in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. He placed third.
Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu In the bypolls held in Talwandi Sabo in 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2014, Sidhu continued to win. Sidhu defeated Congressman Harminder Singh Jassi in the 2002 election while running as an Independent. As a Congress candidate, he also won in 2007 and 2012. Later, he switched allegiance to Akalis, and in 2014, he defeated Jassi by a record margin once more. In 2023, he went back to Congress.
Gurjeet Singh Aujla defeated Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri to win the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat in the by-election held in 2017 and again in 2019.
