Lok Sabha Elections for all 13 Punjab constituencies are less than 2 weeks away. Nominations have been filed and candidates are fighting tooth and nail for the Lok Sabha seats. Statistics by Elections Commission of India (ECI) say that about 328 candidates are in the fray for the 13 seats, out of which 302 are male and 26 are female.
This figure is the highest it has been in the past two elections. In 2014, 253 candidates were contesting, while 278 candidates were contesting in 2019. During scrutiny, 245 nominations were canceled this year. Now that nomination process is over, election symbols have been allocated to all the candidates. Here are the election symbols of prominent Punjab candidates going up against the big 4: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)
Sarabjit Singh Khalsa: Farmer-Sugarcane
The son of Beant Singh, infamous for assassinating the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, has also filed his nomination for the Lok Sabha elections 2024. Sarbjit Singh is contesting elections independently in Faridkot (SC reserved), which has become the preferred seat for star Khalsa candidates. The Election Commission has given him farmer-sugarcane as his election symbol. AAP’s Karmjeet Singh Anmol and BJP’s Hans Raj Hans, and Congress's Amarjeet Kaur Sahoke has been fielded in this constituency.
Amritpal: Microphone
Amritpal Singh, who was sent to Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act (NSA), has been given a microphone as his election symbol by the ECI. Amritpal is contesting the Khadoor Sahib LS seat, the most prominent Panthak seat of Punjab. The constituency consists of 75% Sikh voters and it has usually elected Panthak candidates. Khalistan supporter Simranjit Singh Mann had contested the elections in Khadoor Sahib in 1989 and secured the victory by 4.80 lakh votes. Amritpal Singh is being seen as a Panthak candidate.
As of now, 12 cases are registered against Amritpal. Of these, 11 are registered in various police stations across Punjab and one case has been registered in Dibrugarh jail.
Simranjeet Singh Maan and Lakha Sidhana (SAD-A): Bucket
Punjab's regionally popular party Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) has been given the bucket symbol by the Election Commission. This time, after Simranjit Singh Mann, the second most famous face from this party is Lakhvir Singh, alias Lakha Sidhana, who is contesting from Bathinda. Simranjit Singh is contesting from Sangrur, the constituency of Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann. Simranjit Mann is also the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) from Sangrur. Similarly, the party has fielded gangster turned politician, Lakha Sidhana as a candidate from Punjab's VIP seat, Bathinda.