A resolution to this effect was adopted unanimously at the district convention of the Patiala unit of the Federation, the Punjab Mazdoor Dal and the Punjab State Electricity Board Employees Federation, held here. The convention was presided over by Charanjit Singh Walia himself. The resolution said that he was the most ``suitable, winning candidate acceptable to all cadres, communities and classes.''

The resolution assumes significance since SAD has already announced Surjit Singh Rakhra as its candidate for the Patiala Lok Sabha seat.

Charanjit Singh Walia, when contacted by the Indian Express, said that the Federation wanted him to be given the Akali Dal ticket from Patiala and the the matter had been ``left to the discretion and goodwill of the party chief.'' He added that the federation had been wedded to the ideology of the Akali Dal headed by Parkash Singh Badal and has always supported candidates put up by the Dal in different elections.

Walia enjoys good standing as a politician, having won the Patiala Lok Sabha seat in 1985, defeating the then sitting Rajya Sabha MP and all India Congress Committee joint secretary, Amarjit Kaur.He is also equally popular among the masses.With the federation throwing up the name of Walia for the Patiala seat, the candidature from SAD for this seat, has again become an open issue. The SAD leadership cannot apparently annoy the federation as already there is widespread resentment among the employees over the non-implementation of the announcement made by the Punjab ChiefMinister, Parkash Singh Badal on May Day last year, at the silverjubilee conference of the Federation.A spokesman of the Federation said that the next state working committee meeting has been fixed for July 18 at Patiala to ``discuss the present political situation in the state in view of the coming Lok Sabha elections.

It is pertinent to mention here that Finance Minister and SAD General Secretary, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, had yesterday constituted campaign committees of the party for Patiala city and Samana circle of the Akali Dal and announced that Surjit Singh Rakhra would be the party nominee for the Patiala Lok Sabha seat.