Badal's SAD completes announcement of party candidates

Chandigarh Jan 14 (UNI) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), led by former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, is the first party in Punjab to finalise its list of candidates for the 94 assembly segments that it will be contesting.

After announcing the name of Sant Ajit Singh for the Anandpur Sahib assembly seat on Friday, the lone seat for which a decision had not been taken was that of Faridkot.

Mr Badal today announced that name of sitting MLA Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon for Faridkot, putting to rest all speculation that SAD may field a new-comer from this seat. The SAD has fielded 57 sitting MLAs in the current list.

SAD has left the remaining 23 seats for its electoral ally, the BJP. The BJP has so far announced the names of 15 candidates for the February 13 polls.

The BJP will also be contesting the Amritsar Parliamentary seat, by-election for which would be held alongwith the assembly polls.

This seat was vacated by BJP leader and the party's star campaigner for the elections, Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was released from the Patiala Central Jail yesterday after spending two nights in prison.

The cricketer-turned-politician had resigned his Parliamentary seat on December 6, following his conviction by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in a 19-year old road-rage case. Mr Sidhu is likely to be again fielded by the BJP from Amritsar.

UNI