With Amarinder Singh allying with BJP, Congress has to rethink strategy for upcoming polls: Congress leader
Dec 13, 2021
New Delhi [India], December 13 : Congress will have to now have to rethink its strategy for the upcoming Assembly polls in Punjab as former leader Captain Amarinder Singh is siding with rival BJP and no alliance should be taken lightly, Congress leader Ravneet Singh Bittu said on Monday.
Bittu, Santokh Singh Chaudhary and several other leaders met with the chairman of the Congress screening committee, Ajay Maken this evening to discuss strategy for the upcoming assembly polls.
"We have discussed some names over ticket distribution in the upcoming election and soon Congress will release its list," said Bittu after meeting Maken.
"The ultimate decision on whom to give party ticket lies with the party high command," said Bittu on the question of whether some sitting MLAs will be dropped for the polls.
Congress is confident about securing the Doaba region, with the party having secured 61 per cent of the seats in the region in the local body polls held earlier this year, but with respect to other regions the party will have to compete with others said Bittu.
"In Majha region, Congress will face Akali Dal, in Malwa region, our competitor is Aam Aadmi Party and Doaba region has always been in our favour," said the Congress leader.
On the issue of inclusion of farmer leaders into Congress party ahead of the upcoming election, Bittu said "They have already made it clear time and again that they have no interest in politics."
Assembly polls in Punjab is scheduled to be held early next year.
Amarinder Singh had quit Congress after months of in-fighting with current state Punjab PCC President Navjot Singh Sidhu and formed his own party.
In November, he announced his own party the Lok Congress Party which will contest the upcoming election in alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa's party.
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.
