Congress president to decide Patiala by-poll contestant: Preneet Kaur

Patiala, Jul 23: Congress president Sonia Gandhi will take the final call on the selection of candidate for the by-election to Patiala (Urban) Assembly constituency, former MP Preneet Kaur said on Wednesday.

Responding to queries about her candidature from Patiala (Urban), Kaur said, "Congress high command and party's president Sonia Gandhi will decide and whatever decision she will take, it will be honored."

However, party sources claim that Kaur, who lost the recent Lok Sabha election, is the likely candidate of Congress for the bypoll. The seat fell vacant after her husband and Congress leader Amarinder Singh, quit as the MLA after he won the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat defeating BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley.

In the recently held Lok Sabha election, three-time MP Preneet Kaur, who lost to Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Dharam Vira Gandhi, had led from the Patiala (Urban) Assembly segment by over 7,000 votes.

Congress will soon make an official announcement on candidates for Patiala (urban) and Talwandi Sabo seats going to by-polls on August 21. The Talwandi Sabo seat fell vacant after sitting Congress MLA Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhi deserted the party to join ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

PTI