A revolt that was coming: Cong MP Dimpa to field kin from Khadoor Sahib

While Dimpa didn’t name the family member, sources close to him said that he wanted the party to field him or his son for the February 20 polls. Sources said Dimpa’s brother Harpinder Singh will contest from Khadoor Sahib.

Dimpa, who was considered close to former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, had joined the camp led by PPCC president Navjot Singh Sidhu after the former’s unceremonious exit from the government and the Congress. He had also made his displeasure public after he found his son’s name missing from the second list of 23 candidates released by the Congress on Thursday.

It was a double whammy for Dimpa and Sidhu when the party, in its second list, announced at least two tickets in Khadoor Sahib parliamentary constituency against their wishes. Apart from the ticket that they wanted for Dimpa or his son from Khadoor Sahib Assembly segment, the MP and Sidhu had also been batting for a ticket for Satinder Singh Chajjwalwadi, the son of three-time legislator Ranjit Singh Chajjalwadi, from Baba Bakala. The Congress, however, gave reposed faith in sitting MLA Santokh Singh Bhawanipur from that seat. Sidhu and Dimpa had attended a rally organised by Chajjalwandi in Baba Bakala ahead of Congress declaring its first list of 86 candidates.

Satinder Singh and his father joined the Shiromani Akali Dal on Wednesday. The Akali Dal immediately named Satinder Singh as its candidate from Jandiala. Soon after, Dimpa, in a tweet, said: “What should be done if your party ignores hard work, loyalty and honesty & prefers stacks ?”

Incidentally, Dimpa was among the five MPs who had stayed away from former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the Golden Temple on Thursday.

Dimpa, however, had said that he was not invited for the vent. “I thought they wanted to invite only 117 Assembly candidates. I did not get any invite from the CM, AICC in-charge or the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee,” he had said.

As the local MP, Dimpa has influence in nine Assembly constituencies, including Baba Bakala and Khadoor Sahib, and sources said he could hurt the chances of official Congress candidates. Baba Bakala had witnessed a close contest in 2017 when Ranjit Singh had manged to win the seat by a margin of just over 6,000 votes.

In Khaddor Sahib, sources within Congress, said, that there is some anger against sitting MLA Sikki who remained absent from the constituency during last five years, leaving it in the hands of his assistants. However, he is known for extending financial help to voters, often from his own pocket, which makes him popular among the poor.

Meanwhile, trouble has come to fore in the form of a bank loan for Sikki, who filed his nomination papers not only as Congress candidate, but also as an independent from Khadoor Sahib Assembly constituency.

The Bank of India’s Jalandhar branch has written to the Election Commission of India urging it to not allow Sikki to file nomination papers as he is a loan defaulter.

In the letter, with the subject, ‘Request for not to allow to file nomination papers to Ramanjeet Singh Sikki in forthcoming Punjab elections,” the bank said, “Sikki…having loan KCC Limit account in our branch with amount of Rs 6,35,28,476.35 uncharged from September 30, 2020. Account has been declared NPA December 7, 2020. Inspite of regular visits and follow-up by the branch officials, he has not deposited any amount. He has intentionally and deliberately committed default with bank by not paying amount in his loan account. Bank has also filed suit against him in Chandigarh for recovery of dues”.

The district electoral officer confirmed receiving the letter. Sikki couldn’t be contacted for his comments on the letter written by the bank or why he has filed nomination papers as an independent too.