Prashant Kishor has no say in ticket distribution for 2022 Punjab polls: CM Amarinder

Political strategist Prashant Kishor has no role in the finalisation of Congress tickets for the 2022 Punjab Assembly election, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh Tuesday said seeking to quell a simmering resentment within the party.

“There is no question of it. Kishor has no say in the matter,” Amarinder said seeking to brush aside the speculation that his principal advisor would be deciding on the tickets.

“His (Kishor’s) role as my principal advisor is limited. It is only advisory in nature, with no decision-making authority vested in him,” the CM said in a statement.

He said there are set norms and patterns for ticket allocation in the Congress, which are followed in all elections in all states and Punjab is no exception. There is a state election committee set up by the high command ahead of any Assembly poll, which considers all the names and decides on the final candidates, Amarinder pointed out, adding that the shortlisted names are then sent for scrutiny to the screening committee, comprising top party leadership, including the Congress president. The final decision is taken by the central election committee, with no individual having any role to play, he added.

In the process of ticket finalisation, inputs are always taken by this committee from various internal and external parties, including independent agencies as well the state party unit, he said, adding that this is the process that was followed in 2017 and will be adopted again this time. “So where does Kishor come into the picture,” he asked.

Amarinder further said that this system had worked well last time when the Congress won 80 seats in the 117-member Assembly. “Why should the party want to change it and disturb the political balance that we have managed to strike so beautifully in the past four years,” he asked.

In fact, he pointed out that the Congress in Punjab has been on a strong wicket in every election in the last four years, including in the recent urban local bodies’ polls, which the party swept.

“This shows that there is no anti-incumbency at play in the state, as is being speculated by the media,” he said.

“If the party sees any instance of local anti-incumbency, it will handle it the way it usually does – by looking at alternatives, and finding the best fit to ensure victory,” Amarinder said, making it clear that this was an issue for the Congress, and not for Kishor, to consider and decide.