Senior vice-president of Punjab Congress, Lal Singh, has lost his battle to PPCC president Capt Amarinder Singh’s one-family-one-ticket diktat with the party deciding not to nominate him from Sanaur. His son Rajinder Singh was fielded by party from Samana Assembly segment.
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While Lal Singh, considered close to AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi was expecting to get the ticket, sources said a senior leader of the party went to the extent of threat of resigning if rules were be bent for Lal Singh.
With curtains on Lal Singh’s candidature, the Congress took in its fold a youth Akali leader, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, in Patiala on Saturday. He is likely to be the Congress candidate from Sanaur.
If Lal Singh was given the ticket, it would have opened a pandora’s box for the party as former Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa’s sitting MLA wife Charanjit Bajwa was denied the ticket as his brother Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa had staked his claim.
Similarly, former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal’s son-in-law Vikram Bajwa was denied the ticket citing the same rule.
Lal Singh had given an ultimatum to the party high command that either his son would contest or both will stay out of the contest. But Lal Singh may have to stay out of the contest this time.
Sources said if the party formed the government, Lal Singh would be given an important role.
Lal Singh had already initiated his campaign in Sanaur a few days ago.
He had told his electorate that he would get two tickets as he had told the high command that his legacy needed to live through his son.