Not Congress nominee yet, but turncoat Ghubaya campaigning in Ferozepur

FEROZEPUR: The Congress is yet to announce its candidate from Ferozepur, but outgoing MP Sher Singh Ghubaya, who recently joined the party from Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), has already started campaigning in the Lok Sabha constituency.


Ghubaya’s move has left leaders in his new outfit a worried lot, as many of them too have been staking claim to the party ticket from Ferozepur and feel the campaign is Ghubaya’s way of pressuring the party to announce his candidature.

So far, there has been no word from party leadership on any candidate from the parliamentary segment. On Monday, Ghubaya canvassed in Balluana assembly constituency, which falls in Fazilka district and Ferozepur Lok Sabha seat. He told TOI that the party had promised him the ticket and that was why he was canvassing in the constituency. “I launched my election campaign from Jalalabad on Saturday and covered almost 25 villages in the constituency. I covered a similar number of villages in Guruhar Sahai constituency on Sunday,” he said.

Ghubaya said he started his election campaign early as he was anticipating the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) to field Harsimrat Kaur Badal from Ferozepur Lok Sabha constituency this time. “I do not want anyone from the Badal family to win from Ferozepur and that is why I have started reaching out to my supporters and voters,” he said.

Ghubaya is expected to travel to Delhi along with his family on Monday night to meet Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. Senior leaders of the Congress have conveyed their unhappiness over Ghubaya’s move to the Punjab Congress. Former Congress minister Hans Raj Josan and former Fazilka MLA Dr Mahinder Rinwa have already announced to oppose Ghubaya’s candidature.