All-India Congress Committee Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary, who met top leaders of the Punjab Congress on Friday, asked them to gear up to contest for all 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
The state leadership, including Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Partap Singh Bajwa, was told to prepare the list of two to four probable candidates for discussion in the next meeting, people privy to the meeting said.
Former minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, state Congress working president Bharat Bhushan Ashu, CLP deputy leader Dr Raj Kumar Chhabewal and PPCC general secretary Sandeep Sandhu were among the party leaders present.
The meeting, in which the state unit was asked to gear up to contest all 13 seats, assumes significance as the 28-party Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) is likely to resume discussions soon to put up a united fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in general elections.
Though several constituents of the INDIA bloc are pressing for early decision on seat-sharing, Punjab Congress leaders are opposed to any seat-sharing with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the state. The state unit leaders, who have been local on this issue, again conveyed their reservations against the Congress-AAP alliance to the state affairs in-charge, said one of the persons quoted above. They also asked him to arrange a meeting with the central leadership on this issue. Chaudhary told them that the central leadership would consult the state unit before any decision is taken on seat sharing in the state.
{{/usCountry}}Though several constituents of the INDIA bloc are pressing for early decision on seat-sharing, Punjab Congress leaders are opposed to any seat-sharing with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the state. The state unit leaders, who have been local on this issue, again conveyed their reservations against the Congress-AAP alliance to the state affairs in-charge, said one of the persons quoted above. They also asked him to arrange a meeting with the central leadership on this issue. Chaudhary told them that the central leadership would consult the state unit before any decision is taken on seat sharing in the state.
{{/usCountry}}AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann have been holding public meetings in different parts of the state and saying that their party would win all 13 parliamentary seats in the state.