Sangrur bypoll: 21 in fray as 18 more file nominations

Patiala: Monday’s 18 nominations took the total number of candidates in the Sangrur Lok Sabha byelection to 21. Out of the main contenders, Kamaldeep Kaur of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Dalbir Goldy of the Congress, and Kewal Dhillon of the BJP have now filed their papers, while Gurmail Singh of AAP and SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann had entered the race by Saturday.
Congress candidate Dalvir Goldy, who had lost Dhuri’s assembly seat to now chief minister Bhagwant Mann of the Aam Aadmi Party by a huge margin, thanked his party for keeping faith in him. Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, who accompanied Goldy to the nomination office, said: “People have seen the real face of AAP by now and how it cheated the masses. Those who had left the Congress and joined the BJP were responsible for the party’s debacle in the assembly elections.
Kewal Dhillon claimed that he had joined the BJP because law and order situation had deteriorated in the state and only the BJP could improve it. He was accompanied by Ashwani Sharma and Sunil Jakhar. Ashwani Sharma said the people of Sangrur will benefit by voting for a party that was in power at the Centre.
Returning officer and Sangrur deputy commissioner Jitendra Jorwal said the Election Commission of India (ECI) had appointed two observers for the byelection. Mohammad Zubair Ali Hashmi was general observer and Shyam Manohar Singh was expenditure observer. Hashmi will listen to public grievances at Sangrur’s PWD Rest House from 9am to 10am, while Manohar Singh will hear expense-related complaints from 10am to 11am at the same venue. Voters, candidates, or election agents are free to contact them on mobile phone as well.