Punjab Congress Workers Clash Over Lok Sabha Candidature in Amritsar Meeting

Amritsar:  High drama unfolded in the Punjab Congress meeting held in Amritsar on Monday, with two factions of Congress workers engaging in a clash. 

The meeting, led by Punjab Congress in-charge Davinder Yadav, aimed to discuss preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Tensions escalated over the candidature for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, resulting in clashes between supporters of former Deputy Chief Minister OP Soni and Amritsar MP Gurjit Aujla. Both factions fervently raised slogans in support of their respective leaders, prompting intervention from Punjab Congress President Raja Warring to restore order. 

The clash centred around the demand for candidature, with Soni's supporters advocating for his candidacy and Aujla's supporters emphasizing Aujla's role as the voice of Amritsar in Parliament.

These meetings are part of a broader effort by Punjab Congress to assess the party's standing after the recent assembly elections. Congress in-charge Davinder Yadav is compiling reports on suitable candidates and the overall position of Congress in Punjab, feeding this information back to the party's high command. 

The meetings come in the wake of the decision by Congress and AAP to contest Lok Sabha elections independently in Punjab, despite their alliance at the national level. The state units of both parties have communicated their intent to contest all 13 seats in Punjab separately. 

Raja Warring downplayed the incident, stating that the meeting focused on addressing the queries of Congress workers and that there was no undue disturbance from any leader. Punjab Congress President Raja Warring stated, "The gathering focused on the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency, where Davinder Yadav addressed queries from Congress workers. There was no commotion initiated by any leader, and the Congress workers expressed their perspectives during the meeting. Everything proceeded without any issues."