Punjab polls: Congress releases final list of candidates

The Congress on Tuesday announced its candidates for remaining three seats for Punjab assembly polls on February 4.

Inderbir Singh Bolaria has been chosen to contest from Amritsar South while Manju Bansal is the party’s candidate from Mansa.

The ticket for Ludhiana East is given to Sanjay Talwar, Congress said in a statement.

With these three names, the party has announced its candidates for all the 117 constituencies of the state elections.

Bolaria, who is sitting MLA from Amritsar South, had quit the Shiromani Akali Dal to join the Congress in October last year. While Bansal is wife of former Congress MLA Mangat Rai Bansal.

Talwar is a sitting Congress councillor from Ludhiana. This time the party has projected its heavyweights against top leaders of ruling SAD in the state.

Congress state president Amarinder Singh will take on Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal from his pocket borough of Lambi. While, its young turk and Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu will contest from Jalalabad, the bastion of state Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Amarinder will also contest from his traditional Patiala urban seat. The party has also nominated cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu as its candidate from Amritsar East.

Election to the 117-member Punjab assembly, promises to be three-way fight between the ruling SAD-BJP combine, Congress and the new entrant AAP.