Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD) veteran Prakash Singh Badal has been missing in the first list of the party’s 64 candidates for 2022 Punjab assembly elections.
Five-time Chief Minister of Punjab, Badal, 93, had contested the 2017 assembly election from Lambi constituency. SAD had claimed that in 2022 assembly elections Prakash Singh Badal will again be the CM face of the party but due to age factor and health issues presently he has been dropped from the first list. One of the senior leaders of SAD said, “Badal Saab's consent awaited, he may be included in the next list of candidates.”
SAD President and MP Sukhbir Singh Badal will contest from his old seat Jalalabad. It is anticipated that Sukhbir Badal may be the CM face of the party in the coming election. The first list of candidates included two rebels from BJP--Anil Joshi, former cabinet minister, who will contest from Amritsar North and Raj Kumar Gupta from Sujanpur-- and three Congress rebels- Jagbir Singh Brar, who will contest from Jalandhar Cantt, Jagmeet Brar from Mansa and Hans Raj Josan from Fazilka.
The party has included 17 new faces in the first list.
Apart from Sukhbir Singh Badal, the other prominent candidates are Jathedar Tota Singh from Dharmot, Janmeja Singh Sekhon from Zira, Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema from Ropar, Maheshinder Singh Grewal from Ludhiana West, Sikander Singh Maluka from Rampura Phul, Jagmeet Brar from Maur, Sharanjit Singh Dhillon from Sahnewal and Gulzar Singh Ranike, who will contest from Attari (SC) Constituency.
SAD is the first party to declare candidates for the election that is likely to be held in February, 2022.
