Punjab: In a state that elected 88 first-time MLAs, parties bet on heavyweights

Nearly all the parties in fray in 2022, including the AAP, the Congress, the BJP, and the Shiromani Akali Dal had bet on new faces. The same parties, now looking to win, retain, or wrest the Lok Sabha seats from each other have bet big on established faces. The state is witnessing a high-octane contest with a former CM, a former Deputy CM, five Cabinet ministers, at least a dozen MLAs, seven MPs, and a state party chief in the fray.

Having declared candidates on 12 out of the total 13 seats in the state, the Congress is betting on heavyweights such as former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi from Jalandhar, his then deputy Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa from Gurdaspur, and party’s state unit chief and former minister Amrinder Singh Raja Warring from Ludhiana.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded at least five Cabinet ministers, including Dr Balbir Singh from Patiala, Gurmeet Singh Khuddian from Bathinda, Laljit Singh Bhullar from Khadoor Sahib, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal from Amritsar and Gurmeet Singh Hayer from Sangrur. Besides these five Cabinet ministers, at least seven legislators are also in the fray.

The AAP has fielded three sitting MLAs, including Ashok Parashar Pappi from Ludhiana, Amansher Singh Sherry Kalsi from Gurdaspur, and Jagdeep Singh Kaka Brar from Ferozepur. Congress MLA Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal, who joined the AAP, is now contesting from Hoshiarpur.

The Congress has fielded Dera Baba Nanak MLA and party in-charge for Rajasthan Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa from Gurdaspur, and Bholath MLA Sukhpal Khaira from Sangrur. Warring, who is in fray from Ludhiana, represents Gidderbaha in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

In the 2022 Assembly elections, Channi, who was then the chief minsiter, lost from two seats he had contested — Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur. Another former CM, Capt Amarinder Singh, whom Channi had succeeded, lost from Patiala (Urban). The biggest shocker though was the loss suffered by five-time former CM Parkash Singh Badal. The Akali patriarch, for whom it was his 13th Assembly election, lost his stronghold of Lambi by 11,396 votes to an AAP greenhorn. It was only the second electoral defeat that the Akali veteran faced in his political career of 65 years.

The greenhorn who defeated Badal was Khuddian, one of the 88 first-timers elected as MLAs. The newcomers elected to the House included 81 from AAP, four from the Congress, one each from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP, and one as an Independent.

At least seven MPs, part of the current Lok Sabha, are in fray in Punjab. They include former Union Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal from Bathinda, a seat from where she has been elected for three-consecutive terms.

Another woman MP, and a political heavyweight, Preneet Kaur is seeking re-election from Patiala. Member of the erstwhile royal family and wife of former CM Capt Amarinder Singh, Preneet is a four-time MP from Patiala, including three times when she was elected consecutively.

Her winning streak was broken in 2014, when she lost to AAP’s Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, who is now again contesting against her, albeit as Congress candidate.

The Congress has also reposed faith in Dr Amar Singh and Gurjeet Singh Aujla, hoping that they will retain their Fatehgarh Sahib and Amritsar seats, respectively. A three-time Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, who defected to the BJP, is again contesting from Ludhiana, a seat from where he secured consecutive wins in 2014 and 2019.

BJP has also placed its bet on Sushil Kumar Rinku from Jalandhar. A turncoat, Rinku, who was elected as AAP candidate from the seat in a bypoll necessitated after the death of then sitting Congress MP, defected to the BJP soon after AAP named him as its candidate from Jalandhar.

Also seeking re-election is Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)’s Simranjit Singh Mann from Sangrur. Mann was elected to Lok Sabha from Sangrur in 2022, after then MP Bhagwant Singh Mann resigned and vacated the seat on being elected to the Vidhan Sabha and then sworn in as the chief minister. The BJP has also fielded Hans Raj Hans from Faridkot. Though originally from Jalandhar, Hans Raj Hans was elected MP from the North West Delhi constituency in 2019.

The BJP has also fielded a former bureaucrat and former diplomat in these elections. They include Parampal Kaur from Bathinda and Taranjit Singh Sandhu from Amritsar. Kaur resigned as an IAS officer to contest the polls while Sandhu, who was posted in the US, jumped into the fray after retirement.

Fatehgarh Sahib MP Dr Amar Singh of Congress is also a former IAS officer. He is also a qualified doctor and is one of the five such in fray. The others include SAD’s Dr Daljeet Singh Cheema, contesting from Gurdaspur; AAP’s Dr Balbir Singh (Patiala); Congress’s Dr Dharamvira Gandhi (Patiala); and AAP’s Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal from Hoshiarpur.

Among others, the ruling AAP has fielded its chief spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang from Anandpur Sahib while Akali Dal has done the same from Gurdaspur from where it has named Dr Daljeet Singh Cheema.

Incidentally, Cheema is also a former minster as are two other SAD candidates — Anil Joshi (Amritsar) and Sohan Singh Thandal (Hoshiarpur).
Faridkot seat will see an interesting contest between two artistes — BJP’s Hans Raj Hans, who is an established singer, and AAP’s Karamjit Singh Anmol, an actor and singer. The seat is currently represented by Congress’ Md Sadiq, also an established Singer.

Lakha Sidhana, a gangster-turned-activist, is also in the fray from Bathinda as a Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) candidate.