Even as the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the new entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have declared most of their candidates for the high-octane 2017 Punjab polls, Congress party is expected to come up with its first list in the next two days.
Once again lagging behind its rivals in declaration of candidates, the party would hold its crucial Congress Electoral Committee (CEC) meeting on Saturday in New Delhi, under the All India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi.
By now, SAD has announced 78 names for 94 seats it would contest in alliance with the BJP, while AAP has declared 91 candidates for election to 117-member Punjab Vidhan Sabha, early next year.
While the Congress’ first list is expected to be out in next two days, it is believed that the announcement of the remaining candidates will be made by December 8 — when the CEC’s next meeting is scheduled.
Punjab Congress unit has already forwarded the list of shortlisted names to the central screening committee, headed by Rajasthan’s former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
Currently, the screening committee is going through names of nearly 600 probable candidates, examining their pros and cons, analysing their winnability factor, and their interaction with the party’s grass-root level workers, among other things. However, he party sources maintained that the final call on the selection of candidate would be of the CEC.
“We are preparing a complete report of the probables for every seat, evaluating their winnability chances…besides, in case of sitting legislators, among other things, anti-incumbency factor is also being considered,” general secretary in-charge of Punjab party affairs Asha Kumari told The Pioneer.
She said that the report would be placed before the Central Election Committee for final decision.
Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh has already given clear indications that some of the “weak” sitting MlAs may be disregarded in case there was some other winnable candidates from that seat.
The party leadership has all along been maintaining that winnability would play the most significant role in deciding on the candidates.
Post 2012 poll debacle, Capt Amarinder had blamed it on wrong ticket allocation and faulty candidates’ selection as the main reason for the party defeat.
To rule out the same, the former Chief Minister had got conducted a survey, and has prepared a list on the basis of that. Notably, Capt Amarinder has been camping in the national capital since past few days and is holding meeting with the party’s national leadership, including AICC vice-president Rahil Gandhi.
Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh, who had blamed poor candidate selection for the 2012 poll debacle, is trying to have his way on candidates backed by his own survey reports.
It has also been learnt that the party, this time, has decided to do away with the “quota system” in allotment of tickets. As per the party’s tradition, the senior leaders used to give their own list and the party, to humour them, select the names on the basis of that.
The party, in another first, has decided to go for ‘one family, one ticket’ norm, with Capt Amarinder himself making it clear that only he, from Patiala Royal family, would contest Punjab election.
At the same time, there is opposition within the party on giving tickets to the “new joinees” by ignoring the traditional Congressmen. leading the tirade is Capt Amarinder’s arch-rival and Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa and his supporters, who have cited Congress’ resolution it adopted in one of its conference.
Only recently, prominent leaders — Inderbir Singh Bularia, Pargat Singh, Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, among others, have hold the
“hand” giving tough time to the ticket aspirants on their respective seats.