Stick to your seat, Capt warns MLAs

Bathinda : Snubbing MLAs seeking to change their constituencies for the next polls on their own, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday sounded a warning, telling them to stick to their respective seats. In an exclusive telephonic conversation with Hindustan Times, Capt Singh said the party would consider sitting MLAs' candidature on the basis of their performance in their constituency, and no legislator would be allowed to interfere in other constituencies. The decision on ticket allocation would rest with All-India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi. Taking note of certain MLAs announcing their candidature from other constituencies of their own accord, Capt Singh said this was for the high command to decide. “The party will take action against MLAs who try to create confusion on the ticket,“ he warned. Some MLAs have been trying to shift to other constituencies fearing defeat in their own segments owing to dissatisfaction among the voters.Capt Singh said only in cases of de-reservation or reservation of an assembly seat following delimitation would the party consider such a move, that too keeping in mind people's sentiments. The final decision, again, will be of the party high command. Talwandi Sabo MLA Jeet Mohinder Sidhu recently announced his decision to contest from the newly created Maur assembly segment (instead of Talwandi Sabo), without prior approval from the party. He had made the declaration at a gathering of supporters at Dhadhe village in Maur segment. He won from Talwandi Sabo as an independent candidate in the 2002 Vidhan Sabha election and later joined the Congress. He got the Congress ticket in 2007, and won for the second time.