Awaaz-e-Punjab likely to go with Congress?

The Awaaz-e-Punjab is in touch the Congress high command in Delhi to have an electoral alliance for the upcoming state Assembly elections, reported media from Chandigarh. The daily cited a “word of confirmation” by forum leader and Independent MLA from Ludhiana Simarjit Singh Bains.

Bains is reported to have  said that forum had entrusted Navjot Singh Sidhu to have negotiations with the Congress. He said the issue of seat sharing was being discussed and an announcement regarding this would be made by the weekend.

As per another TV Channel from India, Sidhu is directly talking to Rahul Gandhi’s emissaries to clinch the deal. Interestingly, the Awaaz-e-Punjab on the one side has confirmed that their talks with the Congress are at an advanced stage, on the other they maintained that they won’t have alliance with “Amarinder-led Congress”.

In a statement, the Awaaz-e-Punjab said “Amarinder is hand-in-glove with the Badals and his dubious deals with the Badals are an open secret. There is no question of betraying the people of Punjab.” It is to be seen whether the Congress high command will concede to the Awaaz-e-Punjab’s demand regarding Amarinder.

Senior Congress leadership in the state has preferred to adopt a wait-and-watch policy because of changing stand of the fourth front leaders. Senior leaders, including Shamsher Singh Dullo and Partap Singh Bajwa feel that it would be “suicidal for Congress to accept the Awaaz-e-Punjab’s demand with regard to Capt Amarinder Singh at this stage, when the entire campaign has been build around him”.