Partap Bajwa, wife skip Gurdaspur rally by Amarinder, Jakhar

New Delhi, September 22 : Factional divisions continue to haunt the Congress in Punjab with former Gurdaspur MP Partap Singh Bajwa skipping the crucial first party rally in Gurdaspur ahead of the Lok Sabha bypoll on October 11. Bajwa and his wife Charanjit Kaur, former MLA from Qadian, are in Delhi after Congress president Sonia Gandhi approved the candidature of state unit chief Sunil Jakhar for the Gurdaspur seat vacated due to death of BJP MP Vinod Khanna. The Bajwas are expected to meet Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi after he returns from his US trip on Saturday evening.Bajwa was seeking a ticket for his wife but is said to have been told to step back in favour of Congress winnability.Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh is backing Jakhar and will hold the first rally for him in Gurdaspur on Friday. Bajwa, meanwhile, is said to have been placated with offer of some important executive posting for his family but it’s not clear if the promise will be kept. Disgruntled by the denial of Gurdaspur ticket, the Bajwas are also expected to weigh their options before appearing alongside Amarinder and Jakhar in future rallies. Bajwa, a former MP from Gurdaspur, is close to Rahul Gandhi and was given the Rajya Sabha entry from Punjab at a time when Jakhar had been denied one.