Punjab polls: Congress’s tough game with Navjot Singh Sidhu, Pargat on seat choice

JALANDHAR: Even as the Congress released its third list of 23 candidates on Thursday it did not declare candidature of Pargat Singh from Jalandhar Cantt and Navjot Singh Sidhu or his wife Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu from Amritsar East. With the party putting Pargat’s candidature on hold, even though he joined the Congress with Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu a month and half back in the presence of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Navjot Singh Sidhu has put on hold his joining.He met Rahul on the issue at Delhi on Thursday.
Both the top sportsmen are sticking to their guns – with Sidhu making it clear that first Pargat’s candidature be declared from the seat of his choice. Well-placed sources in the Congress revealed that they have refused to yield to Amarinder’s contention on Jalanndhar Cantt seat. After Sidhu has tied his decision to joining the Congress with clearance of Pargat’s ticket the party leadership finds itself in a piquant situation.
On Thursday, the Congress announced candidates from four more seats of Jalandhar district, in the heart of Doaba region from where Congress expects and needs to perform better, it left out three seats – Jalandhar Canttt, Nakodar and Shahkot – tying all the three to decision on Pargat.
Sources revealed that Congress’ poll strategist and Amarinder’s camp was desperately trying to persuade Pargat to shift to Nakodar and on Thursday evening Amarinder also held a meeting with Pargat at Chandigarh and asked him to still consider the move.
While the former Indian hockey captain has been keen on contesting from Jalandhar Cantt, the seat he represents in the state assembly, but Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh is keen on shifting him to Nakodar and wants to field district congress committee (rural) president Jagbir Brar from the seat.
Sources in Congress said that decision on Shahkot has also been tied with these two seats as Congress high command asked Pargat that if he would shift to Nakodar then ticket from Shahkot could also be given to Laaddi Sherowalia, a cousin of Pargat’s wife. Sheriwalia is already a front runner for the ticket as theirs is an old political family. Pargat’s father-in-law Darbara Singh was speaker of Punjab assembly and governor of Rajasthan. However, Pargat argued that ticket from Shahkot be given on merit when Amarinder and other Congress leaders had been claiming that winability was the biggest factor, revealed a source privy to the developments.
Sources said Pargat could not be shifted to any other seat without his own choice as that the ticket to him from seat of his choice was committed by Rahul.