The Congress today came out with its list of star campaigners for Punjab but former Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Punjab MP Manish Tewari don’t figure in the list of 30.
Azad’s name had figured in the list of star campaigners for Punjab, released by the party last month. His omission in the Punjab list was curious since he had a long association with the state.
In the 1980s, he had quit as minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government and went to Punjab as AICC general secretary in charge. Tewari’s omission was more striking as he is only Hindu MP from the state. Both of them are signatories to a letter 23 senior leaders had written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi in 2020 seeking sweeping changes in the party and its functioning.
But the list includes the names of senior leaders Anand Sharma and Bhupinder Singh Hooda, members of the G 23 grouping, as the letter writers have come to be known as. Some of the G 23 leaders argued Tewari’s omission could be deliberate.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan SinghCongress President Sonia Gandhi, senior leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka GandhiPPCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi are on the star campaigners list.
Interestingly, the name of Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who has been a star campaigner in the past, also did not figure in the list.
Former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, AICC general secretary Ajay Maken and party in charge of Punjab affairs Harish Chaudhary are also among the star campaigners.
Others include Kumari Selja, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Rajeev Shukla, Sachin Pilot, Deepender Singh Hooda, Ranjeet Ranjan, Netta D’Souza, BV Srinivas, Imran Pratapgarhi, Amrita Dhawan, and Tejinder Singh Bittu.
Congress sitting MLA from Jalalabad, Raminder Awla, who has been dropped from the candidates list appears on star campaigners. Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, Cabinet Minister Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, campaign committee president Sunil Jakhar have also appeared on the list. Besides, Congress Rajya Sabha members from Punjab Ambika Soni and Partap Singh Bajwa are also included.
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