Shergill stakes claim from Anandpur Sahib for LS polls, submits letter to Punjab cong

Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill on Monday staked claim to the party's ticket from Anandpur Sahib in Punjab for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Shergill (35), who hails from a non-political family, submitted his application at the Punjab Congress office here. A Jat Sikh, he was born and brought up in Jalandhar district.

Shergill, a political greenhorn, said he chose Anandpur Sahib as Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seats were reserved. "I want to fulfil the vision of Congress president Rahul Gandhi," he said.

He said he wanted to add to the good work done by the Amarinder Singh-led state government. "I want to serve Punjab and Punjabis and have a voice of Punjab in Lok Sabha," he added.

"I have fought the party's war on TV channels and now I want to fight on the ground as well," Shergill, who is also a lawyer, said. The Anandpur Sahib seat is currently represented by SAD MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, who had defeated senior Congress leader and former Union minister Ambika Soni in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

With its 'Mission 13' campaign, Punjab Congress has already begun an exercise to find winnable candidates for all 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Out of the 13 seats, four each are held by Shiromani Akali Dal, AAP and Congress while one is held by BJP.

(With inputs from agencies.)