The greater the enemy, the greater the hero for tackling the foe! Apparently going by the policy, the Congress party is believed to be considering a medico-turned-politician Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu’s name for pitting her against sitting MP and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
Denied the party ticket from her choice of seat, Dr Navjot Kaur has categorically refused to contest elections from any other seat than Chandigarh, where she has been campaigning since past two months.
For a former MLA from Amritsar East constituency, Amritsar Lok Sabha seat was another option. But the party has decided to retain its sitting MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla from the holy city.
Now, it has been learnt that the Congress high command has thought of giving the firebrand leader a greater role in the party, she joined just ahead the 2017 state assembly elections.
Available information suggests that the party is considering to field her against Harsimrat Badal, depending upon from where the SAD leader would contest — either Bathinda or Ferozepur.
Congress, as of now, has hold back the announcement of its candidates from seven seats, including Bathinda and Ferozepur, waiting for the Akali Dal to make the first move.
It has been learnt that SAD president Sukhbir Badal would make a re-entry into the Lok Sabha electoral field after decades from Ferozepur to give a much-needed push to the dispirited party cadre. Besides, Harsimrat would seek her re-election from Bathinda to score a hat-trick.
Congress had proposed Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Badal’s name from Bathinda, who has already expressed his reluctance to contest the elections and conveyed the same to the party high command.
However, at the same time, he has made it clear that in case the party leadership asked him to contest, he would go by the decision.
The name of Punjab Health Minister Brahm Mohindra’s son, Mohit Mohindra, has been shortlisted for the seat. But the party wanted to field a candidate to match the stature of Harsimrat who has been winning the seat since 2004 known as the Badals’ bastion.
In 22014 elections, Bathinda had witnessed a fight within the Badal family in 2014 elections, in which Harsimrat defeated her estranged brother-in-law Manpreet, by a narrow margin. And considering the diminishing winning margins from 1,20,948 votes in 2009 Lok Sabha elections to 19,395 votes in 2014, SAD was mulling to shift Harsimrat to the neighbouring Ferozepur which is seen as a safer bet this time.
Now, Congress is waiting for the SAD to announce its candidates from Ferozepur and Bathinda — which has been the epicentre of anti-sacrilege protests against the Badals.
Moreover, with Bholath MLA and Punjab Ekta Party president Sukhpal Khaira too throwing his hat from the Badals’ bastion under the banner of Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA), Bathinda has turned into a hot-seat.
“We need someone to take on the Badals. The state leadership had proposed Manpreet’s name but he has shown his reluctance to contest. In that case, Dr Navjot Kaur could be a suitable choice,” a senior Congress leader told The Pioneer.
It has been learnt that her name was also mentioned during the Central Election Committee meeting on Tuesday, but it was decided to discuss it in the next meeting.