Punjab: Nominations begin, but Congress yet to announce 40 candidates

The party is yet to nominate candidates for 40 constituencies, one-third of Assembly of 117 seats in Punjab.

Even as filing of nominations for 2017 Assembly elections started Wednesday, Punjab Congress was not able to announce the remaining list of 40 candidates despite two sessions of marathon meetings in Delhi for last two days. A section of Congress said the party was ready with a list of 26 candidates but AICC general secretary Madhusudan Mistry, who releases the list after his signatures, was not available in the AICC headquarters on Wednesday. The list is expected Thursday.

The party is yet to nominate candidates for 40 constituencies, one-third of Assembly of 117 seats in Punjab.

Over 125 ticket hopefuls are still camping in Delhi. So is Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh, who has not campaigned in the state for 50 days although the election is just 23 days away.

As the allotment of tickets is getting delayed, ticket hopefuls are getting jittery, “We make umpteen rounds to the AICC headquarters just to check if the list would be out soon. If we go back to our constituencies, the cadres tell us to get the ticket first. Only then they would want to work. Uncertainty is the way of life in Congress,” said a probable.

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Another Congress leader from Malwa said he had been tipped off by the party that he would be the candidate, “But I cannot go and tell people till I get it on paper. Time is being wasted. While our rivals are in the field, we are sitting at home.”

The Central Election Committee of Congress had met for many hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. The meeting went on till late and the list was expected. But it was held back. Amarinder had met AICC Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday as he wanted his approval for some names.

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Earlier, it was Rahul Gandhi who spent almost 10 days oversees with the Congress camp waiting for him o return. On the 40 pending seats, the party is anticipating many rebels. It would require time to placate them. The party has a history of losing 2012 elections due to 22 rebels, who contested and cost the party its turn to power.

Where is Sidhu?

Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu is keeping the Congress wondering as to whether he would join the party or not. Sources said although he had conveyed a message to the party that he could join only after consulting astrologers after a certain planetary alignment changes on January 13 but considering the flip-flop by Sidhu in the past, they were keeping their fingers crossed that he did not ditch the party at this juncture. The party wants to announce ticket for Sidhu only after he joins the party.