Cong to contest Punjab polls alone

Chandigarh: Congress on Tuesday decided to contest the forthcoming Assembly elections in Punjab without forging any political alliance.

"Congress will not forge any political alliance in Punjab ahead of next assembly polls which will be fought on the plank of development," Punjab Congress Chief Shamsher Singh Dullo said.

He made an announcement to this effect after chairing the first meeting of newly re-constituted Pradesh Congress Committee in the city.

"Winnability will be the criteria for distribution of tickets for party workers to contest the polls," Dullo said.

He added only those candidates will be recommended to the party high command who stand a chance to win and who had the maximum following of party workers in their respective constituencies.

Assembly elections in Punjab are scheduled in February next year. At the last hustings Congress had political alliance with the Left including the CPI and the CPM.

Dullo said that the party would be further strengthened at the district and block level in the state.

The Congress in the state would launch a 'mass contact programme' from the next month to highlight achievements of the Amarinder Singh Government.

He said that the outline of this programme would be finalised jointly by him and the Chief Minister soon.

From July onwards, the party would hold two conferences in each assembly constituency of the state, he said.

Dullo also said the assembly elections would be held in time in the state. However, if the Election Commission preponed the polls, the Congress in the state was prepared to contest it, he added.

When asked whether he will contest the polls, Dullo said he is prepared to do whatever his leader (Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi) asks him to do.

Taking a dig at the Akalis, he said that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had no agenda or issue to contest the next polls.

He said, "I want to end groupism in the party," when asked that in the re-constituted PCC supporters of dissident leader Jagmeet Singh Brar were dropped.

Brar was kept out when the PCC was revamped last week.