CHANDIGARH: As many as 260 candidates including Punjab Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema today filed their nomination papers for state assembly elections to be held on February 4. The total number of nominations filed in the state has risen to 311, an election office spokesman said here.
While maximum 25 candidates filed their papers from Amritsar district, minimum three were filed from Pathankot district, he said. Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh joined Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Charanjit Singh Channi who filed his nomination papers from Chamkaur Sahib (Reserve) seat. Jarnail Nangal, an AAP-LIP alliance candidate from Phagwara also filed his nomination papers.
Though Phagwara seat falls in the share of Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) of Bains brothers, Nangal filed his papers as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) nominee because LIP will contest this seat on AAP's symbol of broom. Nangal had joined AAP-LIP alliance on January 4 after quitting the Congress which he had joined on March 23 last year after quitting the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). He was state General Secretary of the BSP and had contested from Phagwara (reserve) assembly seat as its candidate in 2012 polls, ending up at third position. Nangal was among four Congress contenders of ticket from Phagwara but left the party after he found no scope of getting the ticket. Cheema of SAD and Sanjeev Gautam of AAP filed their papers from Rupnagar and Anandpur Sahib seats respectively.
AAP candidate from Gurdaspur Amarjit Singh Chahal also filed nomination. AAP national leader Poonam Azad accompanied him to the office of Sub Divisional Magistrate. Azad said the opponents of AAP are trying to divert the attention of people from core issues but AAP is committed to raise the voice of people. The Congress and Akali leaders are busy in horse trading to get the power in any way, Azad said. "Congress and Akalis are colluded seeing their defeat in upcoming elections. AAP will create history by breaking record of Delhi elections. SAD and Congress will be a history in Punjab after the elections," said Azad. BJP minister Surjit Singh Jyani filed his papers from Fazilka while cabinet minister Sharanjit Singh Dhillon from Sahnewal seat on SAD ticket.
SAD MP Sher Singh Ghubaya's son Davinder Singh filed his papers from Fazilka on Congress ticket. MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura' son Ravinder Singh (SAD) filed his papers from Khadoor Sahib while MP Balwinder Singh Bhundar's son Dilraj Singh (SAD) from Sardulgarh seat. No nomination was filed for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, by-poll to which was necessitated following the resignation of sitting MP and Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh. Assembly polls and by-poll to Amritsar Lok Sabha seat in Punjab will be held on February 4.
Candidates can file their nomination papers till January 18. While scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on January 19, the withdrawal of candidature can be done till January 21. The counting of votes will take place on March 11. Punjab will witness a three-way fight between the SAD, AAP and Congress in all 117 seats. While the Congress is going it alone on all seats, ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and its ally BJP will contest on 94 and 23 seats respectively. A new entrant to Punjab Assembly elections, AAP has fielded candidates for 110 seats and its ally LIP on seven. Other political outfits in the fray include BSP, Apna Punjab Party (APP), the Left comprising CPI and CPI(M), and SAD-Amritsar.