leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha and the Congress MlA from Abohar, Sunil Kumar Jakhar has also been thrown in the electoral battlefield for the 2014 lok Sabha elections.
His name from Ferozepur parliamentary constituency, along with the candidature of two other senior tried-and-tested leaders — Joginder Singh Panjgrain from Faridkot and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot from Fatehgarh Sahib — was announced on Monday evening for the April 30 polls.
The Congress, with this, has made it clear that the party is trying to improve its chances in the parliamentary polls by fielding candidates already having the mandate of the people.
It is, in fact, continuing with its policy of placing its bet on candidates who emerged victorious in the Assembly polls even when the party was forced to bite the dust in 2012 State Assembly polls.
In no mood to take chances, the party is betting on its leading leaders from the State. After fielding reluctant former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh from Amritsar, former Union Minister Ambika Soni from Sri Anandpur Sahib, and re-fielding disinclined sitting Gurdaspur MP and State party chief Partap Singh Bajwa from Gurdaspur, the party has pitted its legislative party leader from Ferozepur against sitting Akali MP Sher Singh Ghubaya.
The move came as a part of party’s strategy to put up a brave fight against the ruling SAD-BJP combine by making its big guns entering the electoral field against the alliance candidates in Punjab.
Jakhar had, during 2009 lok Sabha polls, sought the party ticket from the constituency, but ticket was given to the former MP and senior leader Jagmeet Brar, who lost to Ghubaya by a margin of 21,071 votes.
Three-time legislature from Abohar constituency in Ferozepur district, Jakhar had lost the 1996 lok Sabha election from this segment to SAD-backed Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Mohan Singh Fallianwala.
Jakhar, the son of veteran Congressman Balram Jakhar, made a come back after three back-to-back Assembly polls right from 2002, and eventually elevated as the leader of Opposition in 2012.
It is believed that the party’s move to select Jakhar as its candidate from Ferozepur would be hard to accept by former MP Jagmeet Brar, who was eyeing the ticket. Other aspirants who were in the race for the party ticket from Ferozepur were sitting MlAs Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi and Raja Amarinder Singh Warring.
Besides Jakhar, the Congress party also declared the name of its Kotkapura MlA Joginder Singh Panjgrain from Faridkot against sitting Akali MP Paramjit Kaur Gulshan, instead of its candidate in 2009 polls Sukhwinder Singh Danny who lost by 62,042 votes.
The third name in the party sixth list of candidates was that of four-time MlA Sadhu Singh Dharamsot from Fatehgarh Sahib. While initial indications are that the party may go with its sitting MP Sukhdev Singh libra, but with his name not included in the first five lists, it has raised many questions.
With the announcement of three more names, the Congress has left with the declaration of its candidates for three more seats — Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and ludhiana.
While the sitting ludhiana MP and Union Minister Manish Tewari has backed out from contesting lok Sabha polls citing health concerns, the party is considering the name of Airtel chief Rakesh Bharti Mittal to be fielded from the industrial hub.
However, the party is also mulling over shifting sitting Sangrur MP Vijay Inder Singla to ludhiana — whose candidature has already been announced, and fielding former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal in his place.
Bhattal has reportedly been called by the party high command in New Delhi and asked to contest from Sangrur. Sitting MlA from lehra Gaga, her Assembly constituency falls under Sangrur parliamentary segment.