Preneet Kaur gets Cong ticket for Patiala (Urban) assembly

Former Union Minister Preneet Kaur, who had lost the Lok Sabha polls, has been fielded from Punjab's Patiala (Urban) assembly constituency which was earlier represented by her husband Amarinder Singh.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi announced her candidature for the seat along with that of former MLA Harminder Singh Jassi for Talwandi Sabo assembly seat, also in Punjab, today.
By-polls to Talwandi Sabo and Patiala assembly seats will be held on August 21.
The Election Commission today issued a notification in this regard.
Patiala assembly seat was vacated by Amarinder Singh after he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Amritsar defeating BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley.

Talwandi Sabo seat fell vacant after sitting Congress MLA Jeet Mohinder Singh Siddhu deserted the party to join Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Preneet had earlier represented Patiala Lok Sabha seat thrice. She, however, lost the seat to Aam Aadmi Party's Dharamvira Gandhi.
The decision to field Preneet from the assembly seat was taken earlier this week when she had met the Congress President.
Though Preneet has managed to get some respectable number of votes from this assembly segment area even as she lost the seat from Patiala Lok Sabha seat, the votes for the party drastically came down from what it had got in 2012 assembly elections.

The election in Talwandi Sabo was necessiated as Congress MLA Jeet Mohinder Singh Siddhu put in his papers and switched SAD.
Siddhu is matrimonially related to Dera Sachcha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh whose son is married to Siddhu's daughter.
Talwandi Sabo assembly seat falling under Bathinda parliamentary constituency is a litmus test for both SAD and Congress.