Lok Sabha elections 2024: The Congress today (April 14) issued another list of 10 candidates for the Lok Sabha election in Delhi and Punjab, tapping former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi for the Jalandhar-SC Lok Sabha seat.
In Punjab, the party renominated its sitting MPs Gurjeet Singh Aujla from Amritsar and Amar Singh from Fatehgarh Sahib (SC) Lok Sabha seat. Former MP Dharvir Gandhi will be contesting from the Patiala Lok Sabha seat. His candidature comes mere days after he joined the Congress leaving the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The party has nominated its All India Kisan wing chief Sukhpal Singh Khaira from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat and Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu from the Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency, which is currently represented by SAD chief's wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
Here is the full list
- Charanjit Singh Channi from Jalandhar
- Sukhpal Singh Khaira from Sangrur
- Dr Dharamvir Gandhi from Patiala
- Gurjeet Singh Aujla from Amritsar
Sacked AAP parliamentarian Dharamvira Gandhi, who won the 2014 polls by defeating Congress candidate and former Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs Preneet Kaur from Patiala, was inducted into the Congress on April.
A cardiologist and social worker, he surprised the Congress when he defeated three-time MP Preneet Kaur, in Patiala, the royal citadel. He was suspended from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2015.
Preneet Kaur, the wife of two-time Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and once a prominent face of the Congress, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last month. In 2019, she defeated her nearest rival Shiromani Akali Dal's Surjit Singh Rakhra by a margin of 1,62,718 votes. She has been fielded from Patiala.
2019 poll results
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congres won the maximum -- eight seats -- in the state, while the BJP-led NDA managed to secure victory in four seats -- two each for the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). The AAP was restricted to just one seat.
When will Punjab Vote?
Voting for 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Punjab is scheduled for June 1. The counting will take place on June 4.
Delhi candidates
According to the list, the party has fielded veteran politician JP Agarwal from the Chandni Chowk seat and youth leader Kanhaiya Kumar from the North East Delhi seat. Kumar will be pitted against BJP's Manoj Tiwari, the sole BJP candidate not replaced in the national capital.
For the North West Delhi Lok Sabha seat, the party announced the name of former MP Udit Raj.
The Congress announced the name of Ujjwal Revti Raman Singh from Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad Lok Sabha seat. The opposition party also announced a list of 75 candidates for the Odisha assembly elections.
SAD announces first list of 7 candidates for Punjab
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday announced its first list of seven Lok Sabha candidates for Punjab, fielding senior party leader Prem Singh Chandumajra from Anandpur Sahib and Daljit Singh Cheema from Gurdaspur. The SAD also fielded former minister Anil Joshi from Amritsar, former MLAs N K Sharma and Iqbal Singh Jhunda from Patiala and Sangrur seats respectively, Bikramjit Singh Khalsa from Fatehgarh Sahib and Rajwinder Singh from Faridkot.
Polling for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will be held in the last round of the seven-phase elections on June 1. In a post on X, Cheema said, "SAD President S Sukhbir Singh Badal announced a list of 7 senior leaders of the party as candidates for the Parliament Elections 2024. Choosing the historic & pious occasion of 'Khalsa Sirjana Divas' as the most suited day to sound the poll bugle, he released the first list of candidates."
The SAD will be contesting the Lok Sabha polls on its own for the first time since 1996, when it joined hands with the BJP. The Sukhbir Singh Badal-led party walked out of the NDA in 2020 over the now-repealed farm laws. The BJP had announced on March 26 that it would go solo in the general elections in Punjab.
The SAD has fielded its senior leader and former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra from Anandpur Sahib seat, which is currently represented by Congress MP Manish Tewari. Chandumajra, who was the MP from Patiala in 1996 and 1998, and Anandpur Sahib in 2014, thanked SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal for his candidature. While the AAP has fielded its state unit chief spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang from Anandpur Sahib, the Congress and the BJP are yet to announce their candidates.
The SAD has fielded former education minister Cheema from Gurdaspur seat, currently held by BJP's Sunny Deol. Cheema is pitted against BJP candidate Dinesh Babbu. The Congress and the AAP are yet to announce their candidates for the seat.
The SAD has fielded senior party leader Iqbal Singh Jhundan from Sangrur seat, currently held by Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) MP Simranjit Singh Mann. Jhundan was MLA from Dhuri in 2007 and Amargarh in 2012. Jhundan's nomination came as a surprise as former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa was considered to be among the front runners for a ticket from the seat.
Last month, Parminder Singh Dhindsa's father Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa had merged his party SAD (Sanyukt) with the SAD. From Amritsar, the SAD has fielded former BJP MLA and former minister Anil Joshi. Joshi thanked the SAD leadership for his candidature and assured the party that he would win. Joshi was Amritsar North MLA in 2007 and 2012. He quit the BJP in 2021 and joined the Akali Dal.
He will be facing BJP nominee and former diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and AAP's Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal. Amritsar constituency is presently represented by Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla.
From Patiala, the SAD has fielded former MLA NK Sharma. He will be facing BJP's Preneet Kaur and AAP's Dr Balbir Singh. The SAD has fielded senior party leader Iqbal Singh Jhundan from Sangrur seat, currently held by Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) MP Simranjit Singh Mann. From Faridkot, the SAD has fielded Rajwinder Singh, the grandson of the late Punjab minister Gurdev Singh Badal. Faridkot seat is currently represented by Congress MP Mohammad Sadique.
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