DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday announced its first list of seven Lok Sabha candidates for Punjab, fielding senior party leader Prem Singh Chandumajra from Anandpur Sahib and Daljit Singh Cheema from Gurdaspur.

The SAD also fielded former minister Anil Joshi from Amritsar, former MLAs N K Sharma and Iqbal Singh Jhunda from Patiala and Sangrur seats respectively, Bikramjit Singh Khalsa from Fatehgarh Sahib and Rajwinder Singh from Faridkot.

Polling for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will be held in the last round of the seven-phase elections on June 1.

In a post on X, Cheema said, "SAD President S Sukhbir Singh Badal announced a list of 7 senior leaders of the party as candidates for the Parliament Elections 2024. Choosing the historic & pious occasion of 'Khalsa Sirjana Divas' as the most suited day to sound the poll bugle, he released the first list of candidates."

The SAD will be contesting the Lok Sabha polls on its own for the first time since 1996, when it joined hands with the BJP. The Sukhbir Singh Badal-led party walked out of the NDA in 2020 over the now-repealed farm laws.

The BJP had announced on March 26 that it would go solo in the general elections in Punjab.

The SAD has fielded its senior leader and former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra from Anandpur Sahib seat, which is currently represented by Congress MP Manish Tewari.

Chandumajra, who was the MP from Patiala in 1996 and 1998, and Anandpur Sahib in 2014, thanked SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal for his candidature.

While the AAP has fielded its state unit chief spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang from Anandpur Sahib, the Congress and the BJP are yet to announce their candidates. The SAD has fielded former education minister Cheema from Gurdaspur seat, currently held by BJP's Sunny Deol.

Cheema is pitted against BJP candidate Dinesh Babbu. The Congress and the AAP are yet to announce their candidates for the seat. The SAD has fielded senior party leader Iqbal Singh Jhundan from Sangrur seat, currently held by Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) MP Simranjit Singh Mann.

Jhundan was MLA from Dhuri in 2007 and Amargarh in 2012.

Jhundan's nomination came as a surprise as former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa was considered to be among the front runners for a ticket from the seat. Last month, Parminder Singh Dhindsa's father Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa had merged his party SAD (Sanyukt) with the SAD.

From Amritsar, the SAD has fielded former BJP MLA and former minister Anil Joshi. Joshi thanked the SAD leadership for his candidature and assured the party that he would win.

Joshi was Amritsar North MLA in 2007 and 2012. He quit the BJP in 2021 and joined the Akali Dal.

He will be facing BJP nominee and former diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and AAP's Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal. Amritsar constituency is presently represented by Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla. From Patiala, the SAD has fielded former MLA N K Sharma. He will be facing BJP's Preneet Kaur and AAP's Dr Balbir Singh.

The SAD has fielded senior party leader Iqbal Singh Jhundan from Sangrur seat, currently held by Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) MP Simranjit Singh Mann.

From Faridkot, the SAD has fielded Rajwinder Singh, the grandson of the late Punjab minister Gurdev Singh Badal.

Faridkot seat is currently represented by Congress MP Mohammad Sadique.
(editor@dailyworld.in)