Punjab Assembly Polls: CM Charanjit Singh Channi's brother Manohar Singh denied Congress ticket, says 'will fight as independent candidate

In a major political development ahead of the assembly polls in Punjab, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s brother Manohar Singh was denied a ticket by ruling Congress to contest the upcoming elections. Eliminations of key candidates in the first list has sparked dissidence in the ranks of the Congress party’s state unit.

Manohar Singh, who had resigned as senior medical officer from Kharar civil hospital, was eyeing to contest from Bassi Pathana. The party is instead fielded sitting legislator Gurpreet Singh GP from the Bassi Pathana assembly seat.

Singh dubbed the decision of the Congress giving ticket to Gurpreet Singh GP as "injustice" with the people of the constituency and alleged that the sitting legislator was "incapable and ineffective." "Several prominent people of Bassi Pathana area have asked me to fight as an independent and I will go by what they have said. There is no chance of going back and I will surely fight the polls," Manohar Singh told PTI over the phone.

However, after Congress denying ticket to Manohar Singh, he said that he would be fighting the elections as an independent candidate.

In Malout and Moga, the Congress denied tickets to sitting legislator, Deputy Speaker of Punjab Assembly Ajaib Singh Bhatti and Harjot Kamal respectively.

Punjabi singer Sidhu Mussewala, who joined the Congress sometime ago, will contest from Mansa and actor Sonu Sood's sister Malvika Sood from Moga, replacing Harjot Kamal.

Mussewala replaces sitting MLA Nazar Singh Manshahia, who had joined the grand old party after quitting the AAP in 2019.

Rupinder Kaur 'Ruby', who had moved from the AAP to Congress, has been fielded by the party from Malout-SC seat. She was elected from Bathinda Rural in the last election on AAP ticket.

The Congress on Saturday released its first list of 86 candidates for the February 14 Assembly elections in Punjab, fielding Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi from Chamkaur Sahib and PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu from Amritsar East.

Voting for Punjab's 117 assembly seats will be held on February 14 and the counting of votes will take place on March 10.

(With agency inputs)