The Election Commission of India (ECI) has accepted the nomination of pro-Khalistani separatist and Waris Punjab De Chief, Amritpal Singh, to contest as an independent candidate from Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency.
According to ECI data, Singh’s nomination was filed on May 10. He is currently incarcerated in Dibrugarh jail, Assam.
In April, Singh’s mother, Balwinder Kaur, revealed that there had been pressure on him to enter the political arena. “Pressure was being put on Amritpal Singh to contest the elections, and now he is going to start his political innings from Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency as an independent candidate,” she stated. Amritpal Singh was arrested by Punjab police in April last year after evading authorities for over a month. He and nine associates are detained under the stringent National Security Act in Dibrugarh jail.
The Khadoor Sahib seat was previously held by Congress’ Jasbir Singh Gill in 2019. For the upcoming election, Congress has nominated Kuldeep Singh Zira, while BJP has fielded Manjit Singh Manna. AAP’s candidate is Laljit Singh Bhullar, and the Akali Dal will be represented by Virsa Singh Valtoha.
Voting for Punjab’s 13 Lok Sabha seats is scheduled for June 1, during the seventh phase of the national elections.