Utter confusion prevailed in the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) office on Tuesday when the party was undecided till the eleventh hour to name its candidate for the councillor’s byelections which will be held in Ward number 57 on August 23. Today, was the last date for filing the nomination papers till 3 p m but till 2 pm, the party could not zero in on the candidate. Finally, Cabinet Minister Hira Singh Gabria's personal assistant (PA) Harpreet Singh Bedi was asked to contest on the SAD ticket.

Another SAD supporter Gurinderpal Singh Pappu, a ticket aspirant, filed his papers as an independent candidate. Bikramjit Singh Majithia’s aide Maninder Pal Singh Sunny was first approached to contest, but sources said he turned down the offer as he wanted something 'big'. Moreover, he was away to Chandigarh and could not have made it to the city for the 3-pm deadline. Sources revealed that he has been assured to be made a trustee of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust and will also be made a chairman of some board or corporation.

Gabria said, "There was no confusion in naming the candidate. All were busy with the Sukhbir Badal's swearing-in ceremony and hence the decision got delayed. If Bedi has been given authorisation letter by the party high command, Gurinderpal Pappu will take his papers back on August 13. We have no fight within the party."

Pappu, however, said he would contest as an independent and so far has not made up his mind to withdraw papers. Pappu, meanwhile, is close to Chief Parliamentary Secretary Harish Rai Dhanda.

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