Ludhiana, May 2 (IANS): The Congress is united in Punjab to win all 13 seats as the party does not find any challenge or competition anywhere in the state, state party chief and Ludhiana Lok Sabha seat candidate, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, said on Thursday,

"On one hand, it is Congress, but on the other hand, all others and they can’t match us even if they all come together," he told the media here.

Scores of Congress workers accorded a red carpet welcome to state Congress chief on reaching Ludhiana for the first time after his name was cleared by the party as the candidate.

Warring, a three-time legislator from Gidderbaha, has been pitted against Congress rebel and BJP's Ravneet Singh Bittu, a three-time MP and grandson of former Chief Minister Beant Singh who was assassinated in a terror attack while still in office in 1995.

As Warring entered the city, he was received by senior party leaders, including Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Rakesh Pandey, Capt Sandeep Sandhu, Surinder Dawer, Sanjay Talwar, Kuldeep Singh Vaid and Ishwerjot Singh Cheema.

Confident workers said it was a matter of great privilege to have the state unit President as their candidate from Ludhiana to fight against Bittu, who had betrayed the party by joining the BJP. They said Bittu has not only betrayed the party, but lakhs of party workers also had voted for him in both the elections in 2014 and 2019.

Warring said he was touched by the love and affection shown by the party workers on his first day in Ludhiana.

"I feel profoundly grateful and overwhelmed with the love you have showered on me," he said, adding: "Well begun is half done".

He said the party workers will take this battle to the logical conclusion.

Interestingly, both Warring and Bittu were handpicked by party leader Rahul Gandhi when they started their careers in the Youth Congress. The state's ruling AAP has fielded Ashok Parashar Pappi, while Shiromani Akali Dal’s candidate is Ranjeet Singh Dhillon.

Punjab will go to the polls on all 13 parliamentary seats on June 1.