Punjab assembly polls: CEC meet chaired by Sonia Gandhi underway to finalize candidates

By Siddharth Sharma
New Delhi [India], January 8 : Congress' Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting, chaired by president Sonia Gandhi, is underway to finalize the first list of candidates for Punjab assembly polls, said a source.
According to the source, a list of more than 60 names for 117 assembly seats in Punjab has already been prepared by the screening committee after several rounds of meetings.
"Several MLAs including ministers are on the verge of losing the party ticket to contest the elections. This decision has been taken on the basis of the performance of MLAs and feedback received in the survey," said the source.
"The only criterion the party is considering is the winning factor while selecting a candidate. The Party might also deviate from its earlier announcement of its 'one ticket to one family' formula," the source added.
This is a crucial election for the Congress because other than facing its old opponent Shiromani Akali Dal and Aam Aadmi Party, it will have its own rebellious leader Captain Amarinder Singh in the fray.
The assembly polls in the state will be held in 2022.
Ahead of the Assembly elections, Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) and Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress have formed a six member-Committee to decide on seat sharing, informed Punjab BJP in charge Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
In the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls, Congress won an absolute majority in the state by winning 77 seats and ousted the SAD-BJP government after 10 years. Aam Aadmi Party emerged as the second-largest party winning 20 seats in 117-member Punjab Legislative Assembly. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) could only manage to win 15 seats while the BJP secured 3 seats.