New Delhi: The Congress Party has decided to field its Punjab chief Sunil Jakhar as its candidate to the upcoming byelection for the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha constituency.
The seat had fallen vacant after the death of BJP MP and actor Vinod Khanna. Mr Jakhar’s candidature has the imprint of the Punjab chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh as Mr Jakhar is his close confidante. Mr Jakhar had lost in the recently-concluded Assembly election in Punjab, after which he was made the Punjab chief. The byelection will be held on October 11, and the last date of filing nomination is September 22.
Before announcing Mr Jakhar’s candidature, Congress president Sonia Gandhi held several rounds of consultations with all stakeholders.
The Gurdaspur Lok Sabha constituency is a stronghold of former Congress state chief Partap Singh Bajwa, who contested and lost the 2014 Lok Sabha election. In March 2016, Mr Bajwa was nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab. Insiders say that Mr Bajwa was keen on a ticket for his wife. Ms Gandhi also met Mr Bajwa before the announcement.
Mr Jakhar said he was confident of winning. “It is a big responsibility. With the kind of faith being reposed in me by the party, I am sure we will win this byelection with the support of workers and leaders.”
The BJP is yet to announce a candidate for the seat. Jakhar added that since this was a Lok Sabha byelection it would be a referendum on the performance of the Central government.
However, after a thumping majority in the state elections, the Congress is hopeful of victory. Insiders within the Congress say the party has to ensure that factionalism is controlled, otherwise it would not be a smooth sailing for Mr Jakhar.
