NRIs wish to contest 10 Punjab Assembly seats: IOC

CHANDIGARH: A group of NRIs from Punjab have shown interest in contesting ten Assembly seats in the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha elections in the state on Congress tickets.

"We are keen to field ten candidates in the upcoming Assembly polls in Punjab," Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) president Vikram Bajwa told reporters here today.

The IOC is in constant touch with Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh to work out poll modalities, he said.

He said a 'Political Action Committee' comprising IOC and state Congress representatives should be set up for selection of NRIs candidates for the elections.

The participation of NRIs in election process back home will "cleanse the system" as it will bring in "more transparency", Bajwa said, adding, there were 25 million NRIs in total, out of which 45 per cent are from Punjab.

Bajwa was accompanied by Jasjit, son of Tamil Nadu governor S S Barnala.