Running ahead of the Congress in terms of declaring candidates for the three Majha seats, the SAD-BJP seems to be gearing up for the polls.

The ruling combine has declared incumbents Navjot Singh Sidhu from Amritsar, Vinod Khanna from Gurdaspur and Rattan Singh Ajnala from Khadoor Sahib, while the Opposition Congress is still weighing its options.

Looking forward to cash in on the anti-incumbency factor, the Congress is holding deliberations before taking the final decision.

There are more than three candidates lobbying for each ticket. While in Amritsar, local Congressmen are trying to press upon the high command to field Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh from his native place, in Gurdaspur the scene is quite complex.

Apart from former PWD minister and Kahnuwan MLA Partap Singh Bajwa, Union Minister of State for Industries Ashwani Kumar, former Batala MLA Ashwani Sekhri and retired IPS officer Pritam Singh Bhinder, whose late wife Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder represented the seat for a record six times, are vying for the ticket.

In Tarn Taran, Congress MP from Jalandhar, Gurjit Singh Rana and former Beas MLA Jasbir Singh Dimpa, apart from some local Congress leaders, are pulling the strings.

If the PM refuses to contest for the Amritsar seat, then Amritsar (South) MLA Om Parkash Soni would emerge as the main contender, though Rajasansi MLA Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Congress (Rural) district head S J S Lally Majithia may also stake their claims.

Bihar Governor and five-time local MP Raghunandan Lal Bhatia has so far not showed his cards, but he may play an important role in deciding the ticket.

Meanwhile, none of the SAD-BJP MPs have started formal campaigning in Majha. Khanna is missing from Gurdaspur just as Sidhu is from Amritsar (though he arrived in the city after a gap of three months yesterday).

Sidhu’s absence and his confinement to a coterie of supporters and officers are already giving sleepless nights to the party workers. Both the celebrities would be facing tough times as most of the promises made by them have remained unfulfilled.

Ajnala is also missing from the scene of action, and might face the worst-ever anti-incumbency factor in the Akali bastion. “This election will throw up many surprises,” said a poll observer.

Meanwhile, with Majha’s two seats in BJP’s kitty, the SAD’s only one seat of

Tarn Taran would be a litmus test for Bikram Singh