Congress fails to get rid of dynastic factor in picking candidates for Punjab poll, heartburn in party

New Delhi : The Congress party has not been able to get rid of dynastic politics as is evident from the allotment of tickets for the forthcoming Punjab Assembly elections. Almost all the ruling political families which had found representation in the successive Congress governments have again managed to get party tickets for their relatives to contest the assembly elections.There is considerable heartburn over the issue among genuine party workers who toiled for the party all these years and were expecting to contest in the polls as Congress candidates.Be it Navjot Singh Sidhu Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president, Sunil Jakkhar former PPCC president, Lal Singh former minister, Ravneet Bittu sitting MP and grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister the late Beant Singh, or Rajinder Kaur Bhattal former Chief Minister, all have managed to get their relatives tickets to contest as Congress candidates.

In violation of the much propagated one-family one-ticket norm, the party has allotted a ticket to Bikramjit Singh Bajwa (Sahnewal), son-in-law of Rajinder Kaur Bhattal former Punjab Chief Minister. Former Minister Karam Singh Gill’s son Raja Gill has been fielded from Samrala. Former minister Raghunath Sahai Puri’s son Naresh Sahai Puri will contest from Sujanpur. Former minister Surjit Dhiman’s son Jaswinder Singh Dhiman has been fielded from Sunam.Long-time ruling families of Chaudhry Santokh Singh sitting MP and Chaudhry Jagjit Singh former minister, both from Doaba have also succeeded in getting tickets for their sons. Santokh Singh’s son Bikramjit Singh has been fielded from Phillaur while Chaudhry Jagjit Singh’s son Surinder Singh has been asked to contest from Kartarpur. Both these families represent the Dalit vote bank of the Doaba belt.
The ruling families of Sunil Jakhar, Harcharan Singh Brar former Punjab Chief Minister, and Gurnam Singh Abulkhurana former minister from the Malwa belt, too, have been accommodated with tickets being given to their kin. Sunil Jakhar’s nephew will contest from Abohar, Harcharan Brar’s daughter-in-law Karan Kaur Brar from Muktsar, and Abulkhurana’s son Jagpal Singh Abulkhurana from Lambi.Similarly, Sumit Singh contesting from Amargarh is a son of former MLA Dhanwant Singh a cousin of Navjot Singh Sidhu. Cabinet Minister Brahm Mohindra’s son Mohit Mohindra has been given a ticket from Patiala (rural). Former minister Lal Singh’s son Rajinder Singh is contesting from Samana, former minister Sardul Singh’s son Sukhwinder Singh alias Danny is fighting from Jandiala.