Punjab: Amarinder Singh releases first list of PLC candidates

Chandigarh, Jan 23 (UNI) Former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) on Sunday announced first list of 22 candidates for the upcoming State Assembly Polls. PLC was given 37 of the 117 seats in the state as part of its alliance with the BJP and SAD (Sanyukt), with discussions still in progress on possibly another five seats for the party. Of the 37 seats in the PLC kitty, the maximum of 26 are from Malwa region. The Party’s share in seat allocation for Majha region currently stands at 7, while Doaba region accounts for four seats. Releasing the first list of nominees, the PLC leader said all these candidates have strong political credentials and are well known faces in their respective constituencies. There is one woman in this first list. Former SAD MLA Farzana Alam Khan, wife of late DGP Izhar Alam Khan, will contest from Malerkotla. Besides Capt Amarinder Singh, who had on Saturday itself announced his decision to fight from his home constituency of Patiala Urban, there are eight other Jat Sikhs in the well balanced first list. Four of the candidates belong to the SC community, three to OBC community, while five are Hindu faces (three Pandits and two Aggarwals). In addition to Capt Amnarinder and Farzana Alam, another key candidate is the current Patiala Mayor Sanjeev Sharma alias Bittu Sharma, who will contest from the Patiala Rural seat.