The Central Election Committee of Congress Party cleared the names of former Member Parliament Ch Lal Singh for Udhampur and JKPCC working president, Raman Bhalla for Jammu Lok Sabha seat, while releasing the fourth list of 45 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Lal Singh, a two time MP and former Minister, who rejoined Congress party hardly three days ago in Delhi, has been fielded by the Congress party from Kathua-Udhampur-Doda Parliamentary Constituency, against a strong BJP candidate and sitting MP & Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh. Ghulam Nabi Azad’s party (DPAP) candidate and former Minister, Ghulam Mohd Saroori is also contesting from Udhampur–Doda seat.
Singh, who had won the Udhampur Parliamentary seat twice on a Congress ticket in 2004 and 2009, switched from the Congress to the BJP in 2014. He remained Health and Forest Minister in the BJP-PDP Government. After the BJP pulled out of the alliance in 2018, he remained in the party for few months and later resigned from the party and framed his own party – Dogra Swabhiman Sangthan Party. He became MLA first time from Basohli Constituency of Kathua district in 1996.
Raman Bhalla, a former Housing and Revenue Minister, considered to be a strong Congress candidate, has been fielded by the Party from Jammu Parliamentary Constituency. Party sources said that during CEC meeting in Delhi the name of former Dy Chief Minister Tara Chand, a strong Scheduled Caste candidate from Jammu region was also discussed. But Jammu being the open Lok Sabha seat, the name of Raman Bhalla was considered.
