The Congress has retained most of the sitting MLAs in its list of 86 candidates announced for Punjab assembly polls on Saturday with both Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu to contest from their traditional seats.
The party has given tickets to 60 MLAs and not given to four of its sitting legislators. The state has 117 constituencies.
The MLAs who have been denied tickets are Deputy Speaker Ajaib Singh Bhatti (Malout), Harjot Kamal (Moga), Nathu Ram (Balluana) and Balwinder Singh Laddi (Sri Hargobindpur).
The Congress faces a multi-cornered fight in Punjab polls. While former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has formed his own party and aligned with the BJP, the Congress faces contest from its traditional rival Shiromani Akali Dal besides AAP, which had finished second in the last polls.
Most of those who have got tickets in the first list have spent long years in Congress. Party leaders who were seen close to Amarinder Singh when he was chief minister have also been given tickets.
Congress manifesto committee chairman Pratap Singh Bajwa, MP, has been fielded from Qadian, which was earlier represented by his brother Fateh Singh Bajwa, who has joined BJP.
The cabinet ministers Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Aruna Chaudhary, Tript Rajinder Singh Bhajwa, Rana Gurjeet Singh, Manpreet Badal, Sangat Singh Gilzian and Gurkirat Kotli have also been given a place in the first list.
Actor Sonu Sood's sister Malvika Sood, who recently joined Congress has been fielded from Moga. The party's sitting MLA from the seat Harjot Kamal joined BJP today.
Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who is facing a probe in a money laundering case, and Punjabi Singer Sidhu Moosewala have been fielded from Bholath and Mansa constituencies. Rajinder Kaur Bhattal has been fielded from Lehra.
Punjab will go to the polls on February 14 and the counting of votes will take place on March 10.
In the 2017 Assembly polls in the state, Congress won an absolute majority by winning 77 seats and ousted the SAD-BJP government which had been in power for 10 years.
( With inputs from ANI )
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