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Journalism of Courage
Ravneet Singh Bittu (48), the grandson of slain Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, is a three-time Congress Lok Sabha MP, including twice consecutively from Ludhiana (2014 and 2019). He had recently joined BJP and was named as its candidate from Ludhiana.
Known to be a vocal critic of pro-Khalistan Sikh hardliners, Bittu claimed receiving threat calls from radicals at least twice in 2022. Bittu had also opposed the release of Babbar Khalsa militant Balwant Singh Rajoana, one of the convicts in the assassination case of his grandfather Beant Singh. In August 2022, when former Congress minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu was arrested by the vigilance bureau in an alleged corruption case, a formal complaint was filed against Bittu by the vigilance for “threatening vigilance sleuths and creating obstruction in public duty.” Days before joining the BJP recently, Bittu was arrested by the police for putting locks on the gates of Ludhiana Municipal Corporation headquarters and creating ruckus in protest against the ruling AAP government. Days later he was again booked for allegedly forcefully stopping the operations of carcass utilization plant at Nurpur Bet village of Ludhiana while supporting the villagers who were oppositing the plant.
Attendance in the house: 90 per cent
MPLAD funds usage: Total allocation was Rs 16 crore of which Rs 8.49 crore allocated for installation of CCTV cameras, Rs 2.18 crore for construction of schools, community centres and cremation grounds, Rs 1.25 crore for Covid medical equipment, Rs 2.16 crore for interlocking tiles in streets, tubewells and sewage and Rs 1.90 crore for open air gyms and stadiums.
Number of questions asked: 367 (highest among Punjab MPs)
Any private member bill: Five (important ones include The National Commission for Welfare of Female Farmers Bill, The Promotion of Cycling Bill, The Provision for Financial Assistance for De-Addiction Centres Bill)
Accessibility: Bittu has often been accused by locals of remaining inaccessible during majority part of his tenure and only re-appearing among people when polls near. During floods when black, stinking water from Buddha Nullah had entered homes of people, they had asked “Where is Bittu now?” He had visited the constituency only after the crisis was largely over.
Ludhiana, the largest district of Punjab in terms of population (34.98 lakh approx according to Census 2011), has fourteen assembly segments of which nine are a part of Ludhiana parliamentary constituency. The urban segments include Ludhiana east, west, north, south, central and Atam Nagar while the rural ones are Dakha, Jagraon and Gill. Five other assembly segments of Ludhiana district- Sahnewal, Khanna, Payal, Samrala and Raikot – are a part of Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha seat.
The district has almost 18.63 lakh Sikh population, followed by 15.02 lakh Hindus and around 77000 Muslims, as per Census 2011. Ludhiana is an industrial and business destination and has country’s bicycle manufacturing hub. In 2022 Punjab assembly elections, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had won 13 of 14 assembly segments in the district except rural seat Dakha, considered the stronghold of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
The Ludhiana constituency grapples with issues such as extreme air, water and soil pollution due to environmental degradation, heavy construction works and industrial discharge along with depleting green cover. The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) are the two major landmarks of Ludhiana city. The rural seat Dakha continues to grapple with severe drug peddling problem.
Total voters: 17,31,124
Male: 923721
Female: 807274
Third gender: 129
2019 voting percentage in Ludhiana: 62.16%
2019- Ravneet Singh Bittu (INC)
2014: Ravneet Singh Bittu (INC)
2009: Manish Tewari (INC)
2004: Sharanjit Singh Dhillon (SAD)
1999: Gurcharan Singh Galib (INC)
While Ravneet Singh Bittu is BJP’s candidate, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced Ludhiana Central sitting MLA and former Congressman Ashok Parashar Pappi’s name. SAD and Congress are yet to announce are yet to announce their candidates.
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