SAD candidates list out, Sukhbir renominated

The Shiromani Akali Dal today announced all its candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections becoming the first party to do so. The list was released by party chief Parkash Singh Badal at Ferozepur, and the announcement indicates that talks with the BSP have not been fruitful.

As was expected, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Zora Singh Mann have been renominated. Sukhbir will contest from Faridkot and Mann from Ferozepur. The other three candidates announced today include Youth Akali Dal chief Sharanjit Singh Dhillon from Ludhiana, former Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal from Phillaur and Sukhdev Singh Libra from Ropar. The party had announced the names of five candidates earlier. It is expected to contest 10 of the 13 LS seats in Punjab, with the BJP contesting Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur.

Granting a ticket to Sharanjit, too, did not come as a surprise. Sukhbir had always stood by the Youth Akali Dal chief, and the recent rally at Ludhiana saw his formal launch into Akali politics. The candidature of Libra, a Tohra loyalist, indicates Tohra had some say in the list. Atwal’s candidature from Phillaur marks a change in SAD strategy. In the last two polls, the party had left the seat for its ally.