Even as there are reports of dissent from different senior leaders after Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Partap Singh Bajwa declared his team, for Lakhbir Singh Lakha, the Congress incharge for Payal assembly segment, his elevation as Fatehgarh Sahib parliamentary president by Bajwa has come as a reward for his hard work.
Though Lakha had lost in the assembly elections against present Vidhan Sabha speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal from Payal reserved assembly segment by around 400 votes, he is the only Congress leader in Punjab who managed to set up a block samiti from Doraha after defeating the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
In the panchayat elections held last year, where all Congress leaders failed miserably to manage even one seat for block samiti or zila parishad, Lakha besides winning the block samiti seat, managed to win two out of three zila parishad seats falling under the Payal segment represented by Atwal.
Notably, this is why in the new team announced by Bajwa last week, Lakha is the only leader in the state who has been posted as president of a parliamentary seat, while all other leaders have been made district chiefs.
This is for the first time that the party has chosen to make president of any parliamentary seat, on the pattern on which the elections for the Youth Congress were held. Interestingly, the party has not nominated any district president for Fatehgarh Sahib.
{{/usCountry}}This is for the first time that the party has chosen to make president of any parliamentary seat, on the pattern on which the elections for the Youth Congress were held. Interestingly, the party has not nominated any district president for Fatehgarh Sahib.
{{/usCountry}}"I have been conveyed by the state party president that I have to look after Fatehgarh Sahib parliamentary segment. That means apart from three constituencies of Fatehgarh district, I will also look after party work for Payal, Khanna, Samrala as well," Lakha said, while thanking the party president for his elevation.
An aggressive Youth Congress leader from scheduled caste category, Lakha is close to former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh's family members, who have represented Payal assembly segment till 2012, when the segment got reserved for scheduled caste.
After this rise, experts see Lakha, also a key Rahul Gandhi team member from Punjab, as the probable for party candidate from Fatehgarh parliamentary seat.
The seat is currently held by Sukhdev Singh Libra, and if the party decides to change the candidate for this seat, Lakha could be the strongest probable with the backing of Bajwa and Beant Singh's family.