LS polls: SAD announces 5 more candidates; fields Harsimrat from Bathinda

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal on Monday announced his party's second list of five more candidates for Punjab and one for Chandigarh seat for the coming Lok Sabha polls, fielding his wife and former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal from Bathinda.

New entrant Mohinder Singh Kaypee was named the party candidate from the Jalandhar reserve parliamentary constituency.

The SAD chief announced the names of candidates in Jalandhar, where Kaypee, former Punjab Congress chief, joined the Akali Dal on Monday.

Badal named former MLA Ranjit Singh Dhillon from Ludhiana, former minister Sohan Singh Thandal from Hoshiarpur reserve seat and party leader Nardev Singh Bobby Mann from Ferozepur.

Besides, he also named Hardeep Singh Saini from the Chandigarh parliamentary constituency.

From Bathinda seat, three-time MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal will be facing BJP's Parampal Kaur Sidhu, AAP's Gurmeet Singh Khuddian and Congress nominee Jeet Mohinder Sidhu.

"I have been serving as a Member of Parliament of Bathinda Lok Sabha for the last 15 years because of all your prayers and love. This time again I have got an opportunity to serve my people of Bathinda constituency," Harsimrat Kaur said.

Bathinda seat is considered as the stronghold of the SAD. Harsimrat won the Bathinda seat in 2009, 2014 and 2019. In the last Lok Sabha polls, she had defeated Congress candidate Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.

In Jalandhar, Kaypee will be pitted against Congress' Charanjit Singh Channi, AAP's Pawan Kumar Tinu and BJP's Sushil Rinku.

With this list, the SAD has so far announced its candidates for 12 parliamentary constituencies - Anandpur Sahib, Gurdaspur, Ludhiana, Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Bathinda, Faridkot, Sangrur, Amritsar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala.

The SAD is yet to field its candidate from the Khadoor Sahib seat.

Polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab and the lone Chandigarh seat will be held in the last phase on June 1.