Punjab polls: Congress names 61 candidates, Amarinder Singh to fight Patiala Urban

The Congress has announced its first slate of 61 candidates for the 2017 Punjab Assembly election. State party chief Captain Amarinder Singh heads the list, which also features Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Congress Legislature Party leader Charanjit Singh Channi and Sunil Jakhar.

Who is on the list

Amarinder Singh will stand from the Patiala Urban seat. His wife, Preneet Kaur, is one of only three sitting MLAs left out; she stepped aside to make room for him. The party has kept 31 of its sitting legislators.

The slate contains seven newcomers, picked, the party said, on “strong credibility and winnability criteria”. Among the names are five young candidates and six women, as well as eight ex-MLAs and a former MP. Manpreet Singh Badal, the estranged nephew of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who moved to the Congress a few months ago, has been given the Bathinda Urban seat.

The names were approved by the party’s Central Election Committee, which is chaired by Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

What Amarinder Singh said

Amarinder Singh said the main test for selection had been a candidate’s chance of winning, while the party tried to balance youth, fresh faces and experience and to give women fair representation. With far more hopefuls than seats, he said, those who missed out would be accommodated once the Congress formed a government. He urged all party workers to unite and campaign for a Congress win in the state.

What happened next

In the 2017 election the Congress won 77 of Punjab’s 117 seats, with the Aam Aadmi Party on 20 and the Shiromani Akali Dal on 15. Amarinder Singh became Chief Minister; Charanjit Singh Channi succeeded him in September 2021.

See also: Indian National Congress | Punjab Vidhan Sabha members

Originally published on 16 December 2016. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us