Ticket distribution to bring factionalism in SAD to fore

Chief Parliamentary Secretary,Jagdeep Singh Nakai,had twice represented Joga in Mansa but after the constituency was disbanded due to delimitation,Nakai has set his sights on Maur. Sources in the party,however,say it is thinking of giving the Maur ticket to Irrigation Minister,Janmeja Singh Sekhon.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon will in all likelihood get the Fatehgarh Churian ticket but SAD Qadian MLA Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal and state Agriculture Minister,Sucha Singh Langha,are not in favour of Kahlon getting the ticket. Both Lodhinangal and Langah skipped the recent Aliwal rally which was addressed by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

In Moga assembly constituency,former Punjab Director General of Police P S Gill is the frontrunner for the ticket but that has earned the ire Barjinder Singh – son of senior leader Tota Singh,who was given the ticket for the SGPC elections and had won. The party’s efforts to pacify Barjinder have reportedly failed. Tota Singh,however,is likely to get the ticket from Dharamkot constituency.

The infighting in Adampur constituency has further increased and is getting acrimonious with a faction of SAD leaders even having written to party president Sukhbir Badal,against the proposed candidature of Pawan Teenu. In Sri Hargobindpur,the fight is between Kashmir Singh Khunda,a dalit leader and Des Raj Dhugga,chief parliamentary secretary and MLA from Gardhiwala are the two contenders.

The Nakodar seat has Rajinder Kaur Bhullar and Gurpartap Singh Wadala,son of senior Akali Dal leader Kuldeep Wadala,vying for the party’s nod. Bhullar was the MLA from Noor Mahal constituency which now ceases to exist after delimitation while Wadala had lost from Nakodar.

In Jalandhar (Cantonment),the fight is between Paramjit Singh Raipur,a SGPC member,Gurcharan Singh Channi SAD district president and Baljeet Singh Neelamahal.

At Anandpur Sahib constituency,sitting MLA Sant Ajit Singh,who also heads a dera,has the political advisor to the chief minister,Daljeet Singh Cheema to contend with for the party ticket. Cheema had contested the last Lok Sabha elections from the area and lost to Ravneet Bittu of the Congress.

Sources said the sitting MLA from Banur,Jasjit Singh Bunny,is eyeing the Dera Bassi seat after having lost his constituency to delimitation,but he has to face SAS Nagar Planning Board Chairman NK Sharma. It is likely that Sharma will get ticket from Dera Bassi.

The SAD,however,has denied the existence of any problems over the issue. “There is no problem at any seat for tickets,there can be many claimants,the party will decide whom to give tickets,the only criteria to give tickets is the winnability factor and service to the party,’’ said Daljeet Singh Cheema,spokesman of SAD.