Punjab Polls 2017: Sidhu, Amarinder among 1040 candidates who filed papers

Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, state Congress chief Amarinder Singh and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann were among the 1040 candidates who filed their papers on Thursday on the last day of filing of nominations for the February 4 Assembly polls in Punjab.

With these nominations, the total number of candidates to file their nominations has risen to 1941.

In the 2012 Assembly polls, 1078 candidates were in the fray for the 117-member House.

While Sidhu filed his papers on Congress ticket from Amritsar East seat, Mann submitted his nomination from Jalalabad seat on Aam Aadmi Party ticket, an election office spokesman said.

Amarinder filed his nomination papers from Lambi seat where he will take on Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) from his pocket borough.

Also in fray from Lambi is former Delhi legislator and AAP leader Jarnail Singh. on Wednesday, Amarinder has filed his papers from his traditional bastion Patiala urban seat.

Sidhu, a former BJP MP who joined Congress only two days back, was accompanied by his wife Navjot Kaur and other Congress leaders at the time of filing of his papers.

He is pitted against Amritsar BJP district chief Rajesh Kumar Honey. Mann, also a MP from Sangrur, is fighting it out against SAD president and deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal from Jalalabad.