AAP announces candidates for bypolls to four assembly seats in Punjab
CHANDIGARH: The main opposition Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday announced the names of its candidates for the upcoming bypolls to four assembly seats in Punjab.
Punjab President of Aam Aadmi Party and Member of Parliament from Sangrur Bhagwant Mann said Gurdhian Singh Multani has been named as the candidate from Mukerian while Santosh Kumar has been fielded from the Phagwara reserved seat.
Mahinder Singh has been given the ticket to contest from Jalalabad and Amandeep Singh Mohi has been named as the candidate from Dakha.
He said the party will raise several issues including unemployment, farmers' suicides and unkept promises by the Congress government during the byelections.
The decision was taken in a core committee meeting of the party. The names will be sent to the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the AAP in Delhi, which will announce the names formally, said Mann adding that he will campaign at all four places.
He said that the PAC had given them verbal approval after the decision of the core committee was conveyed to them.
The ruling Congress has already announced its candidates for the bypolls while the Akali Dal has announced its candidate from Dakha. It is yet to name a contestant from Jalalabad.
Meanwhile, the SAD's ally BJP is also yet to announce its candidates from Mukerian and Phagwara assembly segments.
The Phagwara and Jalalabad seats fell vacant after sitting MLAs Som Parkash and Sukhbir Singh Badal were elected to the Lok Sabha from Hoshiarpur and Ferozepur parliamentary segments, respectively, in the Lok Sabha polls.
The Dakha seat got vacant after former AAP legislator and noted Supreme Court lawyer H S Phoolka's resignation was accepted by the Punjab Assembly speaker last month. The Mukerian seat fell vacant following the death of Congress MLA Rajnish Kumar Babbi last month.