Cong fields spouses of PPCC chief, former deputy CM for bypolls
The Chabbewal seat fell vacant as Dr Raj Kumar switched to ruling AAP and was later elected as MP from Hoshiarpur.
Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring’s wife Amrita and former deputy CM Sukhjinder Randhawa’s wife Jatinder Kaur have been named as Congress candidates for the Gidderbaha and Dera Baba Nanak bypolls, respectively, making it a prestige battle for both the party heavyweights in the state.
Meanwhile, for the Barnala seat, the party has given a ticket to Kuldeep Singh Dhillon, while Ranjit Kumar has been named from Chabbewal.
Except for Barnala, the other three constituencies were won by the Congress in the 2022 election, making it a herculean task for the party to hold its fort here.
Gidderbaha seat fell vacant after the PPCC chief Warring was elected as MP from Ludhiana, while the election in Dera Baba Nanak was necessitated as former deputy CM and sitting MLA Sukhjinder Randhawa was elected to Lok Sabha from Gurdaspur. The Chabbewal seat fell vacant as Dr Raj Kumar switched to ruling AAP and was later elected as MP from Hoshiarpur.
Amrita Warring has been active in the Gidderbaha constituency along with her husband. Raja Warring has successfully defended the seat after being elected to the Punjab assembly from here in 2012. A loss here might weaken his position, while a victory will further strengthen in position as PPCC head, a Congress leader said, pleading anonymity.
“A lot is at stake for Raja Warring as he will not only try to defend his fort—Gidderbaha but to ensure that Congress does well on the other three constituencies. A loss in bypolls might put his position under threat,” admitted the above-quoted Congress leader. In the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year, Congress managed to win seven of the 13 seats in the state, reducing the incumbent AAP to just three, while SAD managed to win just one.
“In the Dera Baba Nanak, where Congress has won from 2012 onwards, Jatinder Kaur is a known name. She has been active in the area and regularly meets the local citizens and holds political activities in the absence of Randhawa, who was incharge of Rajasthan and remains active in national politics,” a Congress leader said.
Congress’ face from Barnala, Kewal Dhillon switched to BJP, and its 2022 assembly candidate Manish Bansal, son of former MP Pawan Bansal, never remained active in the area ever since he lost badly from here.
Kuldeep Singh Dhillon is a transporter by profession and is considered close to Raja Warring.
Similarly, at Chabbewal, after the exit of Dr Raj Kumar, who successfully won in 2017 and 2022, and switched to AAP. The party has given the ticket to Ranjit Kumar, who is a lawyer by profession. Ranjit was the Lok Sabha candidate from BSP for Hoshiarpur in 2024.
