Shiromani Akali Dal to contest Haryana assembly polls, no clarity on seats yet | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Shiromani Akali Dal to contest Haryana assembly polls, no clarity on seats yet

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByHT Correspondent
Sep 18, 2019 12:20 PM IST

A spokesperson of the party said the Akali Dal will hold workers’ meeting at Kurukshetra on September 22 to interview candidates interested in contesting the elections.

The Shiromani Akali Dal on Tuesday declared that it will contest the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha elections in Haryana. A decision to this effect was taken at the party’s core committee meeting held here that was chaired by SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Fiile photo of BJP’s Amit Shah with Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal. The SAD will hold negotiations with the Bharatiya Janata Party on seat-sharing for Haryana assembly polls.(PTI file)
Fiile photo of BJP’s Amit Shah with Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal. The SAD will hold negotiations with the Bharatiya Janata Party on seat-sharing for Haryana assembly polls.(PTI file)

However, there was no clarity how many seats the party will contest.

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A spokesperson of the party said the Akali Dal will hold workers’ meeting at Kurukshetra on September 22 to interview candidates interested in contesting the elections. A screening committee headed by Balwinder Singh Bhundar has been formed for the purpose. Those interested have already been asked to submit their applications, he said.

The committee headed by Bhundar will hold negotiations with the Bharatiya Janata Party on seat-sharing. The other members of the committee for the Haryana poll campaign are Prem Singh Chandumajra and Surjit Singh Rakhra. The committee will also prepare the election campaign strategy.

The core committee passed two resolutions. In the first, it urged the government of India to order immediate release of all Sikh prisoners who are languishing in different jails despite having served their stipulated sentence. The Akali Dal urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to end unjust and unconstitutional incarceration of these prisoners on the eve of the 550th Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak.

In another resolution, the party reiterated its strong and principled commitment to promotion of the Punjabi language.

The party came down heavily against the Congress government in Punjab for “its insensitive and incompetent handling” of the situation arising in the wake of floods in the state. It said the beleaguered flood-affected people were left to fend for themselves and the government was nowhere to be seen.

The core committee demanded award of 25, 000 per acre as compensation for the crop loss or damage and a matching, liberal compensatory grant to farm labourers affected by the floods. The party also demanded full compensation to all flood-affected people for loss of immovable properties.

Campaign panels for bypolls

Party president Sukhbir Singh Badal set up campaign committees for the Jalalabad and Dakha by-elections. Former cabinet minister and senior leader Janmeja Singh Sekhon will be the campaign in-charge for the Jalalabad constituency, senior vice-president Dr Daljit Singh Cheema will head the panel for Dakha.

The core committee expressed deep sorrow and grief over the loss of lives in the Batala firecracker unit blast. Regretting the government apathy in dealing with the situation, the meeting demanded full compensation and rehabilitation measures for those affected by the tragedy.

The Core Committee also mourned demise of former union ministers Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj. The meeting passed condolence resolutions for the demise of political leaders Lakhbir Singh Araianwala, Sukhdev Singh Batth, Sukhdev Singh Libra, Captain Avtar Singh Bhagta and Jasjit Singh Thiara.

The meeting was attended also by Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Hari Singh Zira, Charanjit Singh Atwal, Nirmal Singh Kahlon, Bikram Singh Majithia , Prem Singh Chandumajra, Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, Daljit Singh Cheema, Baldev Singh Mann, Upinderjit Kaur, Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Sikander Singh Maluka, Gulzar Singh Ranike and Surjit Singh Rakhra.

Blurb:

Party to interview those interested in fighting polls on SAD symbol at Kurukshetra on September 22

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