With Assembly polls in Punjab less than a year away, Congress decided to do away with former Union Ministers Ashwani Kumar and M S Gill as Rajya Sabha members and instead chose former Punjab PCC chiefs Partap Singh Bajwa and Shamsher Singh Dullo as its candidates for polls to the Upper House from the State.
Sources in the Congress said the prime consideration for the selection of Bajwa and Dullo was the Assembly polls as both command following in the state unlike Kumar and Gill.
By nominating Bajwa, Congress has sought to reward him for making way for Amarinder Singh as PCC chief a few months ago. With the nomination of Dullo, a prominent Dalit leader, Congress has sought to woo Jats and Dalits, who comprise a sizeable section in the poll-bound State.
Bajwa, till the other day, was known as a prominent detractor of Amarinder, but Rahul Gandhi appeared to have succeeded in bringing about unity in the state Congress which is out of power for the past nine years now.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi finalised the names for Rajya Sabha nominations today after holding consultations with various leaders. Sources said Amarinder had suggested nominating Sunil Jakhar, a Jat and former ClP leader in the state. The name of Dalit leader and singer Hans Raj Hans, who has joined the Congress a few days ago, was also being considered earlier but was dropped at the last minute.
Bajwa and Dullo will file their nominations in Chandigarh on Friday on seats that are falling vacant due to retirement of Kumar and Gill, both of whom have enjoyed two consecutive terms to the RS.