Punjab elections 2017: From 1,600 applicants, Congress rakes in over Rs 1 crore

The party has got a deposit of Rs 10,000 each from general category contenders and Rs 5,000 each from Scheduled Castes (SCs) applicants. The party has attracted more applications this time compared to the 2012 Assembly elections when 1,450 contenders had applied.

The party is expected to have got Rs 1 crore from those belonging to general category and about Rs 30 lakh from SC contenders. The Congress had claimed it would refund those who would not be able to get the tickets and would keep the deposit of only 117 candidates.

The Congress is seeking resources to keep the show going. Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh had recently said the party’s coffers were empty not only in the state but at the national level, too.

A party leader, however, said Rs 1 crore was a “meagre amount” as every seat was going to cost the party and the candidate much more. He said a large rally requires between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore to mobilise masses and transport them. He said nobody was expecting the party to refund the application fee. “We all know what will happen when the party is in dire need of money,” he said.

Through the applications, the party has not only been able to take care of its coffers for now but also convey a message to AAP that it had not only attracted nearly 1,600 seekers but the number was more this time than 2012. AAP had 500 contenders from 26 seats, in a recent ticket allotment exercise. With the encouraging number of ticket seekers, being considered a barometer for popularity, the Congress is riding a high wave.

The last date of submission of application forms was August 15. The number of contenders could go up as the party has relaxed the last date for a few who could not complete the formalities yesterday.

Busier days ahead for Captain

The Punjab Assembly elections are just over five months away but state Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh is in for some hectic days, with strategist Prashant Kishor having urged him to “slog more” in the state. From now, Amarinder will be visiting two Assembly segments in a day under his Halqe Vich Captain (HVC) programme. Uptill now, he was addressing one HVC each on any given day. Sources said Amarinder had visited 22 segments and was yet to touch 95 constituencies. They had decided to finish with 95 segments in 45-50 days rather than taking over three months for his mass contact programme.

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‘Defying’ Capt’s stance against dynasty politics

Despite Amarinder making clear his stance against ‘dynasty politics’, many Congress leaders in the state defied it, with more than one member from each family applying for the ticket. Starting from Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa’s MLA wife Charanjit Kaur Bajwa and his brother Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa have applied from the same constituency, Qadian. It remains to be seen who gets the ticket.

Similarly, former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and her son-in-law Vikram Bajwa have applied from Lehra Gaga and Sahnewal respectively. Congress senior vice president Lal Singh and his son Rajinder Singh applied from Sanaur and Samana segments respectively. Bhattal and Lal Singh are MLAs from Lehra Gaga and Sanaur.

Captain unopposed

Amarinder, who applied from Patiala (city) segment, does not have any opponent in his pocketborough. He is the only one to have applied for the ticket from his constituency. CLP leader Charanjit SIngh Channi is the only contender from Chamkaur Sahib.