Punjab CM's brother to contest independently after Congress denies ticket
Manohar Singh, the brother of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, will be contesting the upcoming state elections as an independent candidate. Singh is notably miffed over the fact that he was denied a poll ticket by the CM's party, the Indian National Congress. The Congress party has ticked off a few members by denying them poll tickets.
Why does this story matter?
Punjab is one of the few states where the Congress party holds power, however, its support base has dwindled. The party also faces stiff competition from former member and former CM Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress—which has partnered with the Bharatiya Janata Party—the Shiromani Akali Dal, and the Aam Aadmi Party. The new candidates will decide how the party fares in next month's election.
Singh was expecting ticket from Bassi Pathana
Singh had been hoping to contest from the Bassi Pathana seat that has now been given to sitting legislator Gurpreet Singh GP. Singh would now contest as an independent from Bassi Pathana—the home turf of Channi. Singh was apparently denied a ticket due to the party's "one family, one ticket" rule. Further, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu reportedly did not support Singh's candidature.
Singh quit last job to contest polls
Singh had resigned as the senior medical officer from Kharar Civil Hospital last month in hopes of contesting elections. He has a postgraduate degree in anesthesia and a master's degree in journalism. He had also studied law at Panjab University, Chandigarh. In the past, he has held posts in Punjab Civil Medical Services Association. He also runs the health NGO Saadi Saanjh.
Other controversial candidate choices
In Malout and Moga, the Congress party has denied tickets to sitting MLAs Ajaib Singh Bhatti and Harjot Kamal, respectively. AAP-to-Congress turncoat Rupinder Kaur 'Ruby' will contest from the Malout-SC seat. Meanwhile, actor Sonu Sood's sister Malvika Sood will contest from Moga instead. Kamal has now joined the BJP. Separately, controversial Punjabi singer Sidhu Mussewala has been fielded from Mansa.
Punjab elections on February 14
The 117-member Punjab Legislative Assembly is due to go to poll on February 14. The results will be announced on March 10. The Congress had released its first list of 86 candidates on Saturday. The remaining candidates are expected to be announced soon. CM Channi and Sidhu will notably contest from the Chamkaur Sahib and Amritsar East seats, respectively.
