CM Badal, Sukhbir Badal, Bikram Majithia among 25 candidates who filed papers
Chandigarh, Jan 12 - Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, his deputy Sukhbir Singh Badal, Youth Congress chief Amrinder Singh Warring and Manpreet Badal were among the 23 candidates who filed their nomination papers today for the February four Assembly polls in the state. The total nominations filed in the state has gone upto 28 on second day of filing of papers, an election office spokesman said here. CM Badal filed his papers from his traditional bastion Lambi as SAD candidate while his son Sukhbir Badal again entered into fray from Jalalabad seat. Sukhbir's wife and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal filed her papers as covering candidate for her husband and father-in-law. SAD's Bikram Majithia filed his papers from Majitha, while BSP's Bhupinder Singh entered the poll arena from Mansa. No nomination was filed for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, by-poll to which was necessitated following the resignation of sitting MP and Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh. Assembly polls and by-poll to Amritsar Lok Sabha seat in Punjab will be held on February 4. Candidates can file their nomination papers till January 18. While scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on January 19, the withdrawal of candidature can be done till January 21. The counting of votes will take place on March 11. Punjab will witness a three-way fight between the SAD, AAP and Congress in all 117 seats. While Congress is going it alone on all seats, ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and its ally BJP will contest on 94 and 23 seats respectively. A new entrant to Punjab Assembly elections, AAP has fielded candidates for 110 seats and it's ally Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) on seven. Other political outfits in the fray include BSP, Apna Punjab Party (APP), the Left comprising CPI and CPM, and SAD-Amritsar.
