The Congress on Saturday announced names of 86 candidates for the upcoming Punjab assembly polls. While Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi will contest from Chamkaur Sahib, PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu will contest from Amritsar East.
The list also includes Rajya Sabha MP Pratap Singh Bajwa who will contest from Qadian whereas singer Sidhu Moosewala will contest from Mansa. The party has fielded actor Sonu Sood’s sister Malvika Sood from Moga.
Punjab deputy CMs Sukhjinder Randhawa and and Om Prakash Soni have been fielded from Dera Baba Nanak and Amritsar Central respectively.
Former PCC president and campaign committee chief Sunil Jakhar will not contest the assembly polls and his nephew Sandeep Jakhar will contest the Abohar assembly seat instead. Similarly, Punjab minister Brahm Mohindra will not contest and his son Mohit Mohindra will contest from Patiala rural assembly seat in his place.
Among other sitting Punjab ministers, Manpreet Singh Badal will contest from Bathinda Urban, Vijay Inder Singla from Sangrur, Razia Sultana from Malerkotla, Gurkirat Singh Kotli from Khanna, Rana Gurjit Singh from Kapurthala, Tript Rajinder Bajwa from Fatehgarh Churian, Randeep Singh Nabha from Amloh, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring from Gidderbaha, Pargat Singh from Jalandhar Cantt.
Other ministers like Sangat Singh Gilzian has been fielded from Urmar, Raj Kumar Verka from Amritsar West-SC, Sukhbinder Sarkaria from Rajasansi, Bharat Bhushan Ashu from Ludhiana West. Former deputy chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal has been fielded from Lehragaga.
The list was released after the party’s central election committee chaired by party chief Sonia Gandhi cleared the names in its meeting held on Thursday.
The Congress faces a direct challenge from the Aam Aadmi Party in the upcoming Punjab assembly polls. Several pre-poll surveys have predicted a hung House in Punjab while giving AAP a clear edge over the Congress.
Financial Express is now on Telegram. 
