The Congress party has decided not to let sitting MlAs, in general seats, change their Assembly segments. Besides, it has also decided to strictly apply the ‘one family, one ticket’ formula by not allowing two people from a family to contest.
“These two rules are non-negotiable. We have decided that all sitting MlAs in general seats must defend their own segments.
“They will not get to replace their seats. Replacements will be allowed only in case of 34 reserved seats. Also, the decision to allot one ticket per family is final. It will not be bent,” said Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh.
He said that the remaining party tickets for Punjab are likely to be finalised by early next week when the party's Central Election Committee headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi would meet.
Punjab’s former Chief Minister said that allowing sitting MlAs to shift to other constituencies would send “wrong signals” to the party workers.
“Everyone must go into this battle thinking they are winning,” said Capt Amarinder at a time when many sitting MlAs, including some senior leaders, want to shift to other constituencies.
Among those are six-time MlA from Sanaur lal Singh, who wants to shift to Samana, but is unlikely to be obliged.
Another MlA demanding a change is Indian Youth Congress president Raja Amarinder Singh Warring, who is hoping to shift to Muktsar though he represents Gidderbaha in the Punjab Assembly.
The names of the two sitting MlAs were not included in the first list of candidates for 2017 polls.
Former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, who was seeking to contest
from Sunam, has been fielded from lehra, which she currently represents in the Assembly.
On the same lines, the ‘one family, one ticket’ rule will apply, said Amarinder while referring to his own family in which his wife and Patiala MlA Preneet Kaur had stepped down in his favour. Similarly, sitting MlA from Qadian Charanjit Kaur Bajwa has stepped down in favour of her brother-in-law Fateh Jung Bajwa, while Nawanshahr MlA Guriqbal Kaur Babli has vacated her seat for her son Angad Saini whose name has been announced in the first list.