Shahkot bypoll: Amarinder Singh accompanies Cong candidate Ladi as he files nomination papers

Hardev Singh Ladi Sherowalia of the Congress filed his nomination papers on Thursday for the Shahkot assembly bypoll scheduled for May 28. He was accompanied by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Congress’s state president Sunil Jakhar to the sub-divisional officer (SDM) cum returning officer (RO).

All India Congress leaders Asha Kumari and Harish Choudhary, along with Rana Gurjit Singh, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, and Jalandhar MP Santokh Singh also accompanied Ladi.

Amid the ongoing controversies against Ladi, the Congress party has also shown its show of strength by holding a massive rally in the presence of ministers and MLAs of the party who hailed Ladi for his work in the constituency.

Ladi, who had lost 2017 assembly elections to the former MLA Ajit Singh Kohar, whose death has necessitated the polls, will contest elections for second time.

Few hours after the Congress announced Ladi as candidate from Shahkot, the latter came into limelight for wrong reasons after he was booked for the illegal mining.

In his speech, Ladi targeted those who were opposing his ticket citing his role in the illegal mining after his sting video, demanding share from contractors to extract sand from legal quarry came out.

“I express gratitude to the CM Captain Amarinder who has reposed faith in me despite the ongoing malicious campaign against me. I assure you (Captain) that I will come out clean out of this controversy and raise your head always,” Ladi said.

Captain Amarinder coming in defence of Ladi said that he knows him for long time and the whole controversy is opposition’s creation ahead of Shahkot bypolls.

“Every vote for Ladi would be a vote for the future of Punjab as the Congress was the only party that could bring the state’s progress back on track and that believed in implementing every single poll promise,” he said.

Taking a dig at SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal’s demand for Ladi’s arrest, the chief minister dismissed his statements as frivolous and alleged that the former deputy chief minister was used to talking out of his hat. “Does he (Sukhbir) represent the EC,” quipped Captain Amarinder Singh.