Blood runs thicker than votes. Both the Akali Dal (Badal) and the Congress, the two main contenders in the February seven Assembly elections in Punjab, have given preference to relatives for poll tickets at the cost of many other aspirants. The BJP, CPI and CPM, as per the party lists, have kept their relatives away. Relatives of Akali Dal (Badal) president, Parkash Singh Badal, the president of Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), G S Tohra and senior Akali leader, Jagdev Singh Talwandi, figure in the Akali candidates lists.
The Chief Minister, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, is the Congress candidate from Lehra Gagga constituency, while her brother, Manjit Singh Bhattal, is party nominee from the Dhanaula constituency.
Former Union home minister, Buta Singh, is contesting for the Ropar Lok Sabha by-election as Congress nominee while his nephew, Joginder Singh Mann, is the party candidate in Phagwara.
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Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, son of the PPCC president Santokh Singh Randhawa, has been fielded by the party from Fatehgarh Assembly constituency.Sajjan Jakhar, son of former Union agriculture minister and Lok Sabha speaker Balram Jakhar, is contesting from Abohar while Tej Parkash Singh, son of the assassinated Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, is the Congress nominee from the Jalandhar Cantt assembly seat.
Prakash Pandey, son of former state minister Joginder Pal Pandey, has been put up by the Congress from Ludhiana north seat.
Rajanbir Singh, son of senior Akali leader and former state finance minister, Balwant Singh, who was amongst those instrumental in signing of the Rajiv-Longowal accord, has been adopted by the Congress and is contesting from Sultanpur constituency.
Akali leader G S Tohra has fielded his son-in-law for the Dakala assembly seat, for which Amrender Singh, former Maharaja of Patiala was amongst the aspirants. The Maharaja has since left the party in protest.
Although Parkash Singh Badal is contesting from two assembly constituencies, Lambi and Kila Raipur, two of his relatives also figure in the list.
Adaish Partap Singh, a son-in-law of Badal and son of former Punjab Chief Minister, Surinder Singh Kairon, has been put up by the Akali Dal from Patti while Badals nephew, Manpreet Singh Badal, has been fielded in Giddarbaha.
Ranjit Singh Talwandi, son of a senior Akali leader Jagdev Singh Talwandi, has been put up from Raikot.