Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has denied media reports that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh would be contesting the byelections for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat caused by the resignation of Bhartiya Janata Party MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, after he was convicted in a murder case.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Monday he said that the state congress committee had not approached Dr Singh with any such proposal.

"There is no proposal for Dr Singh or his family to contest elections in Punjab. One of his brothers had denied the media reports that he was planning to contest. It is for the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and prime minister himself to decide whether to contest or not to contest. He did not discuss the issue with me. But if he decides to do so then we would ensure his victory because every one in the state would welcome his candidature," Amrinder Singh said.

Shamsher Singh Dullo, president of the Punjab Congress Committee, said that the issue had cropped up during his talks with Dr Singh a week back and then too Dr Singh had rejected the proposal. Punjab has requested Sonia Gandhi and the prime minister to address four meetings each during the state assembly elections.

Asked if he would be the chief minister again, Captain Amarinder Singh, former Maharaja of Patiala, said that it is for the Congress high command to decide the issue after the elections. He denied that there was any dissidence in the party and claimed that the Congress would win more then 74 seats. "There is no anti-incumbency wave against our government. We are going to the people on development issues," he said.

Ravi Shankar Prasad of the Bhartiya Janata Party said that his party had not yet decided on a candidate. "We will decide on the nominee after the honourable Supreme Court decides on Sidhu's application to stay the order of the Punjab and Haryana high court," Prasad said.