Chandigarh: While Congress named its former senior Deputy Mayor Surinder Kaur, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday fielded its two-time councillor Bibi Surjit Kaur as its candidate for the July 10 byelection of the Jalandhar West assembly (reserved) constituency.
While Congress’ candidate Surinder Kaur is a four-time councillor, SAD’s Bibi Surjit Kaur, a social worker, came from Panthic background and her late husband Jathedar Pritam Singh had also served as a councillor once.
It may be recalled that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had already announced the name of Mohinder Bhagat as its candidate for the said bypoll, while the BJP had fielded Sheetal Angural for the same, earlier this week.
The said by-election is scheduled to be held on July 10 and the results would be out on July 13. The last date for filing nominations is June 21, while the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers is June 26.
The bypoll was necessitated following the resignation of the Angural, then an AAP MLA from this seat. It was on March 27 last that he as well as the AAP’s only MP from Jalandhar (SC) seat Sushil Rinku had left AAP just a few weeks ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and joined BJP.
Interestingly, Angural had won this seat in 2022 by defeating the then Congress candidate Sushil Rinku. Bhagat, who is AAP segment incharge, is a known sports goods manufacturer and former BJP leader. He had also unsuccessfully contested from Jalandhar West seat in 2017. He is son of Chunni Lal Bhagat, who was a minister in the erstwhile Shiromani-Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP government. Mohinder Bhagat left BJP and joined the AAP during the 2023 Jalandhar Lok Sabha by-election.
