Bypoll to Sangrur Lok Sabha seat: AAP names volunteer, Cong backs Johl idea

The seat fell vacant after Bhagwant Mann contested and won from Dhuri assembly segment in the 2022 assembly elections. Mann, the incumbent chief minister, had won from Sangrur in 2014 and 2019.

Johl, meanwhile, stirred the political waters in state with a post on his Facebook page. Terming Moosewala’s killing as “very unfortunate and painful,” the economist said, “The society lost a forceful and popular voice. It is a cultural loss. Yet the loss for the parents is unimaginable and cannot be compensated.”

Offering his condolences to Moosewala’s parents, Johl said, “I feel it may be a bit consoling if the father of Sidhu Moosewala is elected in the by-election to the Parliament from Sangrur constituency unopposed.”

Punjab Congress president  Amrinder Singh Raja Warring was quick to latch on to the suggestion.

“Nothing can compensate the loss… Dr Johl has suggested Moosewala’s father Balkaur Singh be fielded as consensus candidate so that he gets elected unopposed. I endorse it. Hope all other parties agree. Let’s put politics of oneupmanship aside,” Warring said.

“There would be no other way to pay tributes to Moosewala,” he added.

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Asked why the Congress did not nominate Balkaur Singh for the bypoll, Warring said, “Fielding him in a contest does not mean anything. He has to be the unanimous choice. How can you push him in a contest?”.

Congress sources said that the party had already decided to field Moosewala from Sangrur before his brutal murder.

Congress Legislature Party leader in Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa to endorsed Johl’s suggestion. “As a Punjabi cultural icon Sidhu Moosewala touched the lives of millions…His death is a huge loss…No parent should ever face the experience of cremating their own son. I believe that Balkaur Singh should be fielded as a consensus candidate. All nationalist forces must unite behind his candidacy,” the former Rajya Sabha MP said in a written statement.

Former AAP MLA Kanwar Sandhu too concurred with Johl’s view. “Some purpose to live it will be for devastated family,” said Sandhu in a tweet.

SAD (Sanyukt) leader Parminder Singh Dhindsa assured his party’s support if Moosewala’s father is fielded.

Meanwhile, amid reports that Kamaldeep Kaur Rajoana, the sister Sikh prisoner Balwant Singh Rajoana — a convict in the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh — has refused to contest the bypoll, an Akali Dal panel led by Sukhbir and comprising senior leaders Prem Singh Chandumajra and Balwinder Singh Bhunder met Simranjit Mann at his Sangrur-based election office. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami accompanied the Akali panel.

During the meeting, Sukhbir and others urged Simranjit Mann to honour an appeal of the Akal Takh Jathedar for fielding a consensus candidate from among the family members of ‘Bandi Singhs’ (sikh prisoners) for the by-election. They said the move will help secure the release of all Sikh prisoners languishing in different jails across the country.

After the meeting, Bhunder said, “We requested Mann Saab to reach a consensus over naming a candidate for the bypoll who is from the family of Sikh prisoner. He has told us that he will discuss the matter with his party members and will revert”.

Earlier Simranjit Mann had announced that he will be contesting the bypoll.

It was learnt that Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh on Friday appealed Panthic organisations to reach a consensus over fielding a common candidate from the families of Sikh prisoners.

“The issue of release of Sikh prisoners will be the main election issue and we have already taken up the matter with central government,” said SGPC president.

Bhunder said they have shortlisted 22-23 families of Sikh prisoners from which a candidate can be chosen.

Another Akali delegation will again meet Kamaldeep Rajoana at her Ludhiana residence on Saturday and urge her to rethink her decision.

Among others the Bhartiya Janata Party too has not declare its candidates for the poll for which Monday is the last date of filing nominations. The BJP is looking at Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Chandigarh on Saturday when there there could be an announcement.

Sangrur is a pocket borough of Bhagwant Mann, who has been a two-time MP from there. The party is confident of victory from the seat. The party had won all the nine assembly segments in the 2022 polls.