Not many relatives in Cong list for assembly polls in Punjab

Chandigarh, Jan 18 (UNI) Not many relatives of senior and prominent Congress leaders figure in the first list of 98 candidates for the coming assembly polls in Punjab released by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) last night at New Delhi.

The Shiromani Akali Dal's list of 94 seats that the party will be contesting contains the names of sons, brothers-in-law and other relatives of senior Akali leaders including former Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal.

A relative of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had made his intention of contesting the assembly elections from any of the four constituencies of Amritsar city. But the Prime Minister had put his foot down and categorically stated that none of his relatives would centre elections.

Even state Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's brother Malwinder Singh has so far failed to get the ticket from Samana constituency.

Malwinder is among the six to seven Congressmen who had forwarded their names to the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) for the Samana seat. So far the Congress high command is yet to decided its nominee for this seat.

The AICC has accomodated PPCC chief Shamsher Singh Dullo and given him the ticket from Khanna (reserved) in place of his wife and sitting MLA Harbans Kaur Dullo. State cabinet minister Pratap Bajwa has also not succeeded in getting a ticket for his brother Fateh Jung Bajwa from Sri Hargobindpur. The decision for the Sri Hargobindpur seat which is with SAD, has been left pending.

Former Bihar Governor Buta Singh's nephew Joginder Singh Mann, the sitting MLA from Phagwara (reserved) has also not succeeded in getting renomination from this seat so far. The Congress is yet to finalise its nominee from this seat.

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