Days after deciding to announce the first list of candidates early, the Congress high command has initiated a fresh survey to assess the winnability of candidates, especially in the Assembly segments where there are multiple claimants.The survey is being conducted on two fronts: the party’s position vis-à-vis its political opponents—AAP, the SAD and the BJP—and the winnability and strength of candidates in the race.Punjab affairs in-charge Sachin Pilot has repeatedly stated that the winnability and strength of candidates will be the sole criteria for ticket allocation.Party insiders said in a meeting chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in Delhi on November 1, initial discussions were held, but no names were finalised.The AICC is expected to announce the Screening Committee and the Election Committee in the coming days.At the Delhi meeting, senior leaders were reportedly advised not to push for particular candidates and instead leave it to the party high command to conduct detailed surveys of the probable candidates. It has been observed that senior leaders have been promoting their preferred candidates in different Assembly segments, resulting in confusion.“There is a crucial issue of allocating Assembly tickets to two members of the same family. Many senior leaders, including Rana Gurjeet Singh, Tript Rajinder Bajwa, Sukhjinder Randhawa, Charanjit Singh Channi and Madan Lal Jalalpur, among others, are keen on fielding their family members. The issues are being sorted out,” said a senior leader.The party has sitting MLAs, former MLAs and other senior leaders in the fray for nearly 60 seats. However, in the remaining segments, there are multiple contenders owing allegiance to different leaders.“There are 30 to 40 seats where the party has to identify strong candidates. The discreet survey will help identify such candidates,” said a senior leader.The Assembly segments where the party is looking for strong candidates include Jalandhar West, Chabbewal, Barnala, Batala, Majitha, Attari, Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Bagha Purana, Abohar, Mansa, Dirba, Bhadaur, Mehal Kalan, Phillaur, Hargobindpur and Shutrana, among others.