Punjab’s main opposition Congress party has missed its own deadline for announcing candidates for the assembly elections in the state, six months before the polls.
Rival and ruling party Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the new challenger, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), have taken the lead in doing so.
Assembly elections are likely to be held in the last week of January or early February, as per Election Commission of India (ECI) officials. A senior Congress leader who is also a former minister, said:
If not the complete list, at least the first list of sure candidates should be announced, the leader added.
The first list of Congress candidates is likely to be announced in the first half of December, leaving about 45-50 days for the candidates to campaign.
AAP, which has been grappling with internal issues in the past couple of months, has declared 80 candidates since August and is ahead of the other parties.
The Akali Dal, which has been in power with alliance partner BJP since 2007, had also announced its first list of 69 candidates on 16 November. The Akalis, who appear quite confident of getting a third term, will contest 94 seats, leaving 23 for the BJP.
(With IANS inputs)
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