Three-time Congress MLA Harminder Singh Jassi said he will contest as an Independent in the Punjab polls from Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda
Three-time Congress MLA Harminder Singh Jassi said he will contest as an Independent from Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda on Friday.
The rebel leader said he will formally resign from the Congress before filing his nomination papers on January 31. A relative of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, Jassi has won from Talwandi Sabo seat twice in 1992 and 1997. The segment has dera followers in different villages, and Jassi has pinned his hopes on them. He was also elected from Bathinda urban in 2007.
In 2017, Jassi was fielded from Maur segment, and four days before the February 4 assembly elections, he narrowly escaped the twin blasts that left seven people, including five children, dead.
After losing the last election, Jassi wanted to shift his base to Talwandi, but his claim was turned down as the party chose to field Khushbaz Singh Jatana.
Saying that he was feeling humiliated, Jassi said, “Manpreet Badal and Pritam Kotbhai, Congress candidates from Bathinda urban and Bhucho Mandi, respectively, joined the party before the last elections and were given precedence before veterans. The party candidate from Maur (Manoj Bala Bansal of Mansa) has no roots in Bathinda.”
Jassi had been a minister under former Punjab chief ministers HS Brar and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, and had been appointed chief parliamentary secretary under former CM Beant Singh.