‘No bar’ if sitting MLAs want to contest polls: Punjab Cong

| | Chandigarh
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‘No bar’ if sitting MLAs want to contest polls: Punjab Cong

Monday, 18 February 2019 | Monika Malik | Chandigarh

Even as the Congress national president Rahul Gandhi has given enough indications against giving tickets to the sitting Rajya Sabha members, sitting legislators and their family members for the 2019 General Election, the Punjab Congress Election Committee on Sunday decided that there would be “no bar” in case any sitting MLA wanted to contest the polls.

 However, the panel, headed by the State Congress president Sunil Jakhar, also made it clear that the candidature of the sitting legislators would only be considered in “exceptional cases”. The meeting of the State Election Committee for the Lok Sabha elections was held on Sunday at the Punjab Bhawan which was attended by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, State party affairs’ in-charge Asha Kumari, among other members.

Notably, sons of three Cabinet Ministers, seven MLAs and sons of another three MLAs have expressed their desire to contest Lok Sabha elections.

“Many sitting MLAs have submitted forms from many seats, and we have decided that if the sitting MLA is the best winnable candidate for a seat, his candidature should be considered for contesting elections. We have received many applications by MLAs and by their kins,” a member of Congress election panel told The Pioneer, requesting anonymity.

The Congress leader said that there was no clarity as of now regarding the Rajya Sabha MPs as Partap Singh Bajwa has staked claims for Gurdaspur, from where State party chief Jakhar is MP.

“There would be no bar on sitting MLAs from contesting these polls, though it was clarified that the same should be considered only as an exceptional case,” said the Congress leader.

At the same time, Capt Amarinder urged all the members of the party’s election panel “to rise above personal relations and concerns to select only winnable candidates”. He added, “Our main objective is to ensure that Congress wins and form the Government at the Centre.”

 Only recently, Rahul Gandhi had given indications that he was not in favour of giving tickets to the Rajya Sabha MPs, sitting MLAs and their family members—giving hope to the greenhorns and those who were denied ticket in previous elections.

Besides, the panel also decided that a complete list of shortlisted candidates for 13 Lok Sabha seats from the State will be sent to party chief Rahul Gandhi for final selection, instead of earlier practice of giving a one-line authorisation to the party president.

 “The decision, which marks a new openness and stronger democratic systems in the party under the dynamic leadership of Rahul, comes in response to the party president’s suggestion that the state unit should send in the names of proposed candidates instead of merely authorising the high command to take a decision,” said Jakhar who mooted a proposal to accept the same.

 AICC secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs Asha Kumari said that a total of 180 applications had been received for 13 seats. “Rahul wanted the shortlisted candidates’ names to be shared with him, as per the procedure adopted by the party in Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh,” she said suggesting that the list of applicants be circulated to all members, who can tick their choices and also add their own suggestions on possible candidates.

 It was decided that the names of applicants be circulated among the members of election panel, from where shortlisted names would go to Screening Committee, which would send the same to party’s Central Election Committee. Members would be allowed to give preferential numbering also.

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