Congress releases first list of 61 candidates

Congress on Thursday released its first list of 61 candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls in Punjab, fielding state unit chief Amarinder Singh, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, CLP leader Charanjit Singh Channi and Sunil Jakhar.

The party has retained 31 sitting MLAs, while dropping only three including Preneet Kaur, who made way for her husband Amarinder from the Patiala Urban Assembly seat.

The Congress has chosen seven new faces backed by “strong credibility and winnability criteria”.