Caught unawares by the January polls,the state Congress will come out with its first list of candidates for the 2012 Assembly elections this week. The election committee of the party,headed by Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Captain Amarinder Singh is camping in New Delhi to finalise the list. The party was earlier expected to release its first list in January first week. State Congress in-charge Gulchain Singh Charak said the timing of the polls was a little unexpected but their party wanted an early announcement of the poll code of conduct. We were expecting the polls dates in mid February. But the blatant misuse of official machinery by the state government was getting difficult to tolerate. They were laying foundation stones of existing projects,inaugurating uncompleted projects and using the police to exert pressure on people. So,the poll code is a welcome relief for all, he said. Saying that the Congress was trying to announce the first list of candidates this week,he added: Though the exact figure cannot be disclosed as of now,we hope to announce as many candidates as possible in first list. Amarinder has asked all members of the Punjab Election Committee to submit their recommendations in writing in a sealed envelope to the office of the party in-charge Thakur Gulchain Singh Charak by December 27. After the sealed recommendations are received by Charaks office,these will be forwarded to the scrutiny committee headed by Union Minister C P Joshi. After scrutiny of the candidates,the committee will forward the names to the central election committee headed by the party president Sonia Gandhi for a final decision. Case of former DGPs While former Punjab director general of police P S Gill has been allotted a ticket by the ruling SAD,former DGP S S Virk may not be as lucky. The Congress is likely to reallot the Dasuya seat from where Virk has filed his nomination to old-timer R C Dogra. Cong reschdeules poll rallies In view of the announcement of elections on January 30,the Congress has rescheduled all political meetings and rallies announced earlier. Since expenditure on all rallies will now come under the scanner of the Election Commission,the rallies to be held at Faridkot,Jalandhar Cant,Sahnewal,Jalandhar and Amritsa have been rescheduled. The new dates for the rescheduled rallies will be announced after the announcement of party candidates. However,the schedule for political conferences at Jor Mela,Fatehgarh Sahib on December 27 and the Maghi Mela at Muktsar Sahib on January 14 will remain unchanged, said a party statement. According to Congress sources,there was consensus on 60-65 candidates,who are likely to make it to the first list. It will include a majority of old-timers and sitting MLAs,besides some new faces among the women and youth. Newly-elected state Youth Congress president Vikram Chaudhary said that many among the new body are hopeful of getting a ticket but the party will take a call on the winnability factor. The contentious seats,which have several claimants and infighting,may be relegated to the second list. Though Faridkot MLA Avtar Brar and Kotkapura MLA Ripjit Brar will make it to the first list,there may be musical chairs among their seats to beat the anti-incumbency factor. Amarinder wants to make way for new entrant from Peoples Party of Punjab,Kushaldeep Dhillon,in Faridkot,by moving Avtar Brar to Kotkapura and Ripjit to Muktsar its sitting MLA Sunny Brar is undergoing treatment for cancer in the US.
