Punjab assembly election: Congress goes with warhorses in 8 seats of Ludhiana

Cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu from Ludhiana West, sitting MLAs Sanjay Talwar from East, Surinder Dawar from Central and Rakesh Pandey from North constituency have been entrusted with bringing these seats for the Congress again during the Punjab assembly elections

Nine seats of Ludhiana figured in the first list of 86 candidates announced by the Congress, for the Punjab assembly elections, on Saturday. The district has 14 seats in all.

Supporters of sitting MLA Sanjay Talwar celebrating after his candidature was announced from Ludhiana East on Saturday. The supporters were seen without masks and were flouting distancing norms. (HT Photo)

Of the nine seats, eight have gone to old-timers, including six sitting legislators.

Cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu from Ludhiana West, sitting MLAs Sanjay Talwar from East, Surinder Dawar from Central and Rakesh Pandey from North constituency have been entrusted with bringing home these seats again.

Cabinet minister Gurkirat Kotli, representing Khanna assembly segment, and MLA Lakhvir Lakha from Payal have also been retained as Congress candidates.

Further, Kamaljit Karwal from Atam Nagar and Captain Sandeep Sandhu from Dakha seat, who lost their last elections, have been given another chance to prove their mettle at the respective seats. Sandhu had lost byelections to SAD’s Manpreet Ayali in 2019, while Karwal lost to Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) president MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains in 2017 assembly elections.

A new face, Fatehgarh Sahib MP Amar Singh’s son, Kamil Amar Singh has been given the party ticket from Raikot.

The five seats for which the party is yet to announce the candidates include, Gill, Samrala, Sahnewal, Ludhiana South and Jagraon. While two seats – Gill and Samrala -- are represented by Kuldeep Vaid and Amrik Singh Dhillon of the Congress, the assembly segments of Sahnewal, South and Jagraon are tough nuts to crack for the party considering the past results.

Sahnewal is the stronghold of SAD’s Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, while Balwinder Singh Bains of Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) has won two consecutive elections from South constituency. Balwinder is the elder brother of LIP president Simarjeet Bains. Senior Congress leaders, including former district president Gurdev Lapran and Punjab State Industrial Development Corporation chairman KK Bawa among those aspiring for Congress party ticket from South.

Jagraon seat is represented by Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) deputy leader of opposition Sarvjit Kaur Manuke. The Congress has won the seat only once in the last five assembly elections. Gurdeep Singh Bhaini of Congress came out victorious in the 2007 elections.