Gurjit Singh Aujla to be Congress candidate for by-poll to Amritsar Lok Sabha seat

New Delhi: Congress on Friday announced that Gurjit Singh Aujla will be its candidate for the by-poll to the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat in Punjab, which fell vacant after the resignation of Amarinder Singh over the Sutlej Yamuna Link canal issue.

Earlier, there was speculation that Navjot Singh Sidhu, former two-time BJP MP would contest from the seat on Congress ticket.

Aujla, president of the Amritsar District Congress Committee (rural), had worked with Amarinder during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the party said in a statement.

Congress also appointed Yamini Grover as Vice-President of the party's state unit.

Grover, had recently joined the party after quitting AAP.

"In a move to further strengthen the organisational structure of the Punjab Congress ahead of the assembly elections, three new vice presidents, one general secretary, and one executive member have been appointed as party office-bearers with immediate effect," Congress said in a separate statement.

The other two new Vice-Presidents are Chander Mohan Lakhanpal and Iqbal Singh Pannu.

Praveen Kumar Bhardwaj has been appointed a general secretary to the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) while Bharpur Inderjit Singh is a new executive member of the party.