learning from its past mistakes of announcing its candidates at the eleventh hour, the Punjab Congress is planning to name their choices for the 2017 State Assembly polls “in advance”.
However, the opinion on early distribution of tickets for the elections is divided within the party, said the Congress’ national general secretary and in-charge of Punjab party affairs Shakeel Ahmad on Tuesday, on the side lines of series meetings regarding 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Dr BR Ambedkar.
He said: “One opinion is that it leads to exploitation of candidates and even jeopardises their life. The other is that it is imperative to do so in face of regional parties nominating their candidates early.”
“We are not a one-state party like the SAD but a national party and we need to have a uniform policy throughout the country. One way to do it is to inform the candidates early but announce their names near to elections,” he said.
At the same time, he also refused any change of guard in the state refuting all speculations that the state Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa could be soon replaced. “I am tired of giving same answer to questions on Bajwa’s ouster since past two years...Bajwa will stay till he enjoys the confidence of party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi,” he said.
Ahmad, reacting on the parallel programmes of former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, made it clear that any party leader, be it an MlA or MP, had the right to hold public meetings lest he does not attack the party’s national and state leaders or its policies.
“Amarinder is the senior-most leader of the party in Punjab and if he is holding rallies or undertaking a foreign tour, there is nothing wrong in it. He will not do anything that will harm the party,” he said.