Preneet takes support of local Congress leaders in Patiala

Patiala: Congress candidate and three time MP, Preneet Kaur today met local party strongman and MLA Brahm Mohindra seeking his support for campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections. Preneet is facing Deepinder Dhillon, who quit Congress to join SAD, and Dharmvir Gandhi of Aam Aadmi Party for the Patiala Lok Sabha seat which goes to polls on 30 April.[caption id=“attachment_1446777” align=“alignnone” width=“300”]  Congress leader Preneet Kaur. Image courtesy PIB[/caption] Preneet indicated that she did not want to take any risk by having tiffs with senior Congress leaders in her constituency. Mohindra, who confirmed his meeting with “Maharani”, as Preneet is known in her traditional Patiala Lok Sabha seat, described the parleys as “routine affair”. The two leaders planned the strategy for election meetings to be held by her in the constituency, the Patiala (rural) MLA said. Deepinder is SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal’s “personal choice” and is making all efforts to ensure victory. However, AAP’s Dharamvir is likely to impact the poll prospects of both the Congress and SAD candidates. Both Preneet and Deepinder face the anti-incumbency factor, which could be an advantage to Dharamvir, a political greenhorn, analysts say. Meanwhile, Congress MLA, Laal Singh announced a meeting at his residence in Patiala on 25 March which would be addressed by Preneet and her husband Amarinder Singh while the state Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa is likely to attend. The presence of Mohindra, Singh, Bajwa, Amarinder Singh and Preneet together will give a boost to Congress campaign as senior leaders presence on a single dais will project a “united” party leadership, political observers claim. Amarinder is contesting from Amritsar where he will take on BJP heavyweight Arun Jaitley. PTI