Richest candidate in Anandpur Sahib, SAD’s Prem Singh Chandumajra looks to reclaim seat he lost to Manish Tewari in 2019

Chandumajra and candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress, and some Independents filed their nomination papers on Monday. The Congress has fielded Vijay Inder Singla in Anandpur Sahib in place of sitting MP Manish Tewari, who is contesting from Chandigarh this time. Tewari beat Chandumajra by a margin of 46,884 votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In 2014, Chandumajra won the seat beating Congress’s Ambika Soni by a margin of 23,697 votes.

Singla, an engineering graduate, declared movable assets worth Rs Rs 2.72 crore and immovable assets worth Rs 7.55 crore. His spouse has movable assets worth Rs 7 lakh and immovable assets worth Rs 9.02 crore.

The AAP’s Malwinder Singh Kang, who has a master’s degree in arts and a bachelor’s degree in law, declared movable assets worth Rs 62.25 lakh and immovable assets worth Rs 1.70 crore. His spouse declared movable assets worth Rs 36.90 lakh and immovable assets worth Rs 30 lakh.

Chandumajra declared that two criminal cases registered in 2020 and 2011 were pending against him in Chandigarh. Chandumajra was booked under sections 186 (whoever voluntarily obstructs any public servant in the discharge of his public functions), 188 (disobedience to orders duly promulgated by a public servant), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (Whoever voluntarily causes hurt to any person being a public servant in the discharge of his duty) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC in 2021.

In the other FIR, Chandumajra was booked under sections 186 (whoever voluntarily obstructs any public servant in the discharge of his public functions) 323 (assault), 341 (wrongful restraint) 511 (attempts to commit offences which is punishable with any imprisonment under the Indian Penal Code) of the IPC.

Singla declared that he has two criminal cases pending against him. Both cases were registered in 2022 at the Sangrur police station under Section 188 (disobedience to orders duly promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under provisions of the Disaster Management Act.

All 13 seats of Punjab will go to poll in the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 on June 1.