chandigarh:
In what is seen as the most significant uprising in Congress just weeks before the elections in Punjab, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s younger brother, Manohar Singh, has declared that he will run as an independent candidate of the Bassi Pathana government. constituency.
Singh was denied a constituency ticket, apparently because of the party’s ‘one family, one ticket’ rule. Mr Channi has yet to comment on the announcement. Bassi Pathana falls in the Puaadh cultural region of Punjab and is seen as the home of Mr Channi and his community
In the first list of 86 candidates, Congress gave the Bassi Pathana ticket to its incumbent legislator Gurpreet Singh GP on Saturday.
Manohar Singh called Congress’ decision to ticket Gurpreet Singh GP as “injustice” to the people of the constituency and claimed the incumbent legislature was “inept and ineffective”.
“Several prominent people from the Bassi Pathana area have asked me to fight as an independent and I will heed what they have said.
“I will fight as an independent and see to the defeat of the incumbent Congressional MLA, who has been re-drafted,” he told a rally of supporters in a video.
Singh had resigned as senior medical officer from Kharar Civil Hospital in August last year.
He said he decided to fight as an independent after meeting several councillors, village sarpanch and panch who asked him to fight for the polls.
“People told me it was wrong to give him the ticket (Gurpreet Singh GP). He had done nothing before and now he has been forced again,” said Mr Singh, adding that he and his brother Mr Channi and explain his decision.
Last year, the head of the Punjab Congress, Navjot Singh Sidhu, inaugurated the Gurpreet Singh GP polling station in Bassi Pathana constituency.
Voting will take place on February 14 for the 117 congressional seats in Punjab and counting will take place on March 10.