Senior Congress leader and former Union Finance minister Manmohan Singh is seriously considering contesting the general elections from Punjab and has informed Chief Minister Amarinder Singh of his decision. Party sources said that it is now up to the party’s Central Election Committee to take the final decision in consultation with the Chief Minister. The move comes in the wake of a meeting between Manmohan and Amarinder in Delhi on February 24. Meanwhile, sources said that senior AICC leader Ambika Soni is likely to contest from Hoshiarpur constituency in Punjab. While the party had initially decided on Jalandhar in case Manmohan agreed to contest from the state, it is now considering Ludhiana. The Chief Minister is reportedly thinking of fielding former hockey star Pargat Singh from Jalandhar, where the SAD-BJP combine has put up former prime minister I.K. Gujral’s son Naresh Gujral. ‘‘If Pargat is perceived as a winning candidate, Manmohan Singh could contest from Ludhiana as the Congress considers the Akali Dal nominee Sharanjit Singh Dhillon as a weak candidate,’’ said a senior party leader whom the CM consulted on Jalandhar. Meanwhile, sources said that party president Sonia Gandhi may ask Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Sangrur. Bhattal has made known her opposition to the idea of contesting the Lok Sabha polls, but Amarinder as well as PCC chief H.S. Hanspal have indicated that the Sangrur seat can be won only if Bhattal jumps into the fray, the sources added.
