Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Charanjeet Singh Channi’s younger brother, Dr. Manohar Singh, on Friday, filed his nomination papers from Bassi Pathana constituency as an independent candidate after being denied the ticket by the Congress. Dr. Manohar Singh was keen to contest on a Congress ticket from the constituency but the party denied him the ticket.
After filing the nomination papers, Dr. Manohar Singh said that his contesting as an independent was not a sign of rebellion. he just wanted to honour the demands of the people and contest from Bassi Pathana.
“I had worked in Fatehgarh Sahib for long. The people here love me and that has prompted me to contest the elections. Many people had approached me to ask if I was going to contest the polls, following which I resigned from my job and decided to enter the fray as an Independent candidate,” he added.
In his affidavit, Dr Manohar Singh has declared movable assets worth Rs. 3.42 lakh and immovable assets worth Rs 30 lakh.
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Dr Manohar Singh, who has served as the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) in Fatehgarh Sahib District, was keen on getting the Congress ticket from Bassi Pathana district. But the party reposed its faith in its sitting MLA Gurpreet Singh GP and gave him the ticket instead.
Gurpreet GP is considered close to Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief, Navjot Singh Sidhu, and the family of former CM Beant Singh.
Gurpreet GP had openly opposed the activities of Dr Manohar Singh in his constituency and had also raised posers to Singh, whom he viewed as a competitor. The duo has also indulged in a war of words. Gurpreet GP later had found backing from PPCC chief Sidhu who had rooted for him at a rally.