New Delhi: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia will contest the Punjab Assembly election against State Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal announced on Wednesday.
He said: "Bikram Singh Majithia will contest against Navjot Singh Sidhu to dismantle his arrogance in this Assembly elections".
Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu is contesting the assembly election from Amritsar East seat. Notably, Amritsar East will be the second seat from where Bikram Singh Majithia will be contesting. The other seat from where he will be in the fray is the Majitha Assembly segment.
Sukhbir Singh Badal also informed that Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal will contest the Punjab Assembly election.
The 94-year-old veteran leader and five-time state Chief Minister will contest from Lambi constituency.
Bikram Singh Majithia, a former minister, is the brother-in-law of Sukhbir Badal. Booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act last month, Majithia has been trying to secure an anticipatory bail from courts.
Majithia was denied relief by the Punjab and Haryana High court early this week but was given three-day protection from arrest to move the Supreme Court to challenge the high court order and seek the reprieve.
With the announcement of candidates for two more seats, the SAD has declared candidates on all 97 seats on which it is going to contest the February 20 assembly polls.
The SAD has tied up with the BSP for the coming elections.
According to the seat-sharing arrangement between the two parties, the BSP will field candidates on 20 of the 117 assembly seats in Punjab while the rest will be contested by the Shiromani Akali Dal.
Voting for the Punjab election 2022 will take place on February 20 and the results will be declared on March 10 (Thursday) when the counting of votes takes place for five poll-bound states – Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur.
The Punjab Assembly has a total of 117 seats, with 59 being the majority mark. The 117 constituencies in Punjab are spread over three regions including Majha (25 constituencies), Doaba (23), and Malwa (69).
(With Agency Inputs)