15 in fray for Punjab by-poll

Former union minister of state for external affairs Preneet Kaur is among 15 candidates in the fray for by-elections to two Punjab assembly seats - Patiala and Talwandi Sabo - to be held later this month.

Preneet Kaur, wife of Amritsar's Lok Sabha member and former chief minister Amarinder Singh, lost from Patiala Lok Sabha constituency by around 20,000 votes to cardiologist Dharam Vira Gandhi of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The Patiala assembly seat was vacated by Amarinder Singh after he was elected to the Lok Sabha. He defeated Bharatiya Janata Party's Arun Jaitley, who is now the union finance and defence minister, by over one lakh votes.

Preneet Kaur faces seven other candidates in the assembly by-poll. They include Bhagwan Dass (Shiromani Akali Dal) and Harjeet Singh (Aam Aadmi Party).

The Talwandi Sabo assembly seat in southwest Bathinda district fell vacant earlier this year after sitting Congress legislator Jeet Mohinder Sidhu quit his seat as well as the Congress party.

He later joined the ruling Akali Dal and is now the party's candidate from the constituency.

Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) V.K. Singh said voting for the by-elections in both the constituencies would be held Aug 21. Counting of votes will take place Aug 25.