8 MLAs, 10 sitting MPs to slug it out in Lok Sabha polls in Punjab

Eight MLAs, including SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, and 10 MPs, including Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal from Bathinda are in the fray from Punjab in the Lok Sabha elections.

So far political parties have altogether announced 10 women candidates for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state, which goes to the polls on May 19.

The two sitting Akali Dal MLAs who will slug it out include Sukhbir Badal of Jalalabad, contesting from Ferozepur and former finance minister and Lehragaga MLA Parminder Singh Dhindsa, fighting from Sangrur.

The ruling Congress has reposed faith in Chabbewal MLA Raj Kumar Chabbewal for Hoshiarpur seat and Gidderbaha legislator Amrinder Singh Raja fighting for Bathinda seat.

Rebel AAP MLAs Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Baldev Singh are contesting from Bathinda and Faridkot seats respectively.

After he was unceremoniously removed from the post of the leader of opposition of the Punjab Assembly, Khaira quit AAP and formed Punjabi Ekta Party which is now part of the Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA), an umbrella organisation of several political parties.

The AAP, which had won four seats from Punjab in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, has fielded its Talwandi Sabo MLA Baljinder Kaur from Bathinda which is presently represented by Akali MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

The sitting Congress MPs seeking re-election include Ravneet Singh Bittu of Ludhiana, Santokh Singh Chaudhary of Jalandhar, Amritsar MP Gurjit Singh Aujla and Gurdaspur MP Sunil Jakhar.

The Congress has also fielded sitting Ferozepur MP and Akali rebel Sher Singh Ghubaya on its ticket from the same seat.

The Akali Dal has again fielded Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal from Bathinda and Prem Singh Chandumajra from Anandpur Sahib seats.

The AAP has fielded sitting MP Bhagwant Mann from Sangrur and Sadhu Singh from Faridkot.

Rebel AAP leader Dharmavira Gandhi who floated his own outfit Nawan Punjab Party, will seek re-election from Patiala seat.

Among women, the AAP has given tickets to three candidates.

It has fielded former Congress MLA Harbans Kaur Dullo, sitting AAP Baljinder Kaur and the party's trade wing chief Neena Mittal from Fatehgarh Sahib, Bathinda and Patiala respectively.

The Congress has fielded single woman, Preneet Kaur, a former Union minister and wife of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh from Patiala.

Amarinder Singh had moved a resolution in the state assembly last year, urging the Centre to enact a law to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament.

The Akali Dal gave ticket to Harsimrat Kaur Badal from Bathinda and former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur from Khadoor Sahib seat.

The PDA has fielded Paramjit Kaur Khalra, the widow of a human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, from Khadoor Sahib and Daswinder Kaur from Amritsar constituencies.

The BJP is yet to announce candidates from Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur seats.