 "Voting for 13 Lok Sabha seats begins in Punjab")
Polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab began today amid tight security where stakes are high in a multi-cornered contest among SAD-BJP combine, Congress and new entrant Aam Aadmi Pary.
Prominent candidates among a total of 253, including 19 women in the state, are Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley and his Congress rival Amarinder Singh from Amritsar seat and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's daughter-in-law and SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur and nephew Manpreet Singh Badal of Congress from Bathinda.
Both Amarinder and Jaitley are not registered voters in Amritsar.
While Congress' Preneet Kaur is eyeing a fourth consecutive win from her traditional seat Patiala, SAD's sitting MP Paramjeet Kaur Gulshan is hoping for a hat-trick from her traditional Faridkot seat.
Besides, AAPs Bhagwant Mann, a comedian-turned- politician is locked in a close fight against Congress sitting MP Vijay Inder Singla, also known to be Rahul Gandhi's protege and Akali veteran Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa from Sangrur.
Late Chief Minister Beant Singh's grandson and Congress young MP Ravneet Singh Bittu is fighting it out against SAD's firebrand MLA Manpreet Singh Aiyali and another sitting independent MLA Simerjeet Singh Bains from Ludhiana seat.
Prominent candidates among a total of 253, including 19 women in the state, are Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley and his Congress rival Amarinder Singh from Amritsar seat and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's daughter-in-law and SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur and nephew Manpreet Singh Badal of Congress from Bathinda.
Both Amarinder and Jaitley are not registered voters in Amritsar.
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Others key contestants include actor-turned-politician Vinod Khanna (BJP) and his rival Punjab Congress Chief Partap Singh Bajwa from Gurdaspur, Leader of Opposition in Punjab assembly Sunil Kumar Jakhar (Congress) against SAD's sitting MP Sher Singh Ghubaya from Ferozepur, Congress veteran Ambika Soni against Akali stalwart Prem Singh Chandumajra.
While Congress' Preneet Kaur is eyeing a fourth consecutive win from her traditional seat Patiala, SAD's sitting MP Paramjeet Kaur Gulshan is hoping for a hat-trick from her traditional Faridkot seat.
Besides, AAPs Bhagwant Mann, a comedian-turned- politician is locked in a close fight against Congress sitting MP Vijay Inder Singla, also known to be Rahul Gandhi's protege and Akali veteran Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa from Sangrur.
Late Chief Minister Beant Singh's grandson and Congress young MP Ravneet Singh Bittu is fighting it out against SAD's firebrand MLA Manpreet Singh Aiyali and another sitting independent MLA Simerjeet Singh Bains from Ludhiana seat.