The intensive lobbying for tickets in the last two months has left the Congress a divided house in Majha. Now that candidates have been finalised for Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seats, the biggest challenge before the party is to keep the house in order.

The bitterness, if not checked, can impact party's performance in the polls. The top Congress leaders admitted that they would have to work overnight to calm down the tempers.

The party has declared three-time MLA and former city mayor Om Parkash Soni for Amritsar, while party MLA from Rajasansi and a young leader Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria was also in the race. The party was polarised into two groups. "It is true that more than two persons were lobbying for the ticket. But ours is a disciplined party. We respect the decision taken by the high command," said District Congress Committee (Rural) head SRS Lally Majithia. Soni said he would take all the leaders along and he has no ill-will against Sarkaria, "who is like my brother".

In Gurdaspur, the party's choice is former minister Partap Singh Bajwa, who faced the worst-ever resistance from his partymen in the race to grab the ticket. He trounced Union minister Ashwani Kumar, former Batala MLA Ashwani Sekhri, former IPS officer PS Bhinder and businessman Swarn Salaria.

The fight for the ticket was so fierce that the Congress was vertically divided with some senior party leaders, including former MLAs Tript Rajinder Bajwa, Sukhjinder Randhawa and local leader Raman Behal openly revolting against Partap Bajwa. They went to the extent of giving in writing that they will not support Bajwa. Now with ticket in his bag, the biggest challenge before him and the party will be to ensure that these leaders come on a single platform.

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