Prestige at stake for Cong biggies

For Amarinder, who lost his stock within the party and was removed as PPCC president last year, this victory is important as it may provide him a fresh lease of life.

The prestige of bigwigs of the Congress, locked in fierce battles with their rivals, is at stake as the state goes to poll tomorrow.

This time it is a do-or-die battle for several heavyweights. Starting from Amritsar, where the Congress has fielded a former chief minister, Captain Amarinder Singh against BJP’s Arun Jaitley, it is a clash of titans as both are strong contenders.

For Amarinder, who lost his stock within the party and was removed as PPCC president last year, this victory is important as it may provide him a fresh lease of life. Ever since he was nominated by the party, he has been camping in Amritsar and campaigning fiercely to ensure his victory. He did not even leave his constituency to campaign for his wife.

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Another battleground where stakes are high is Bathinda where the CM’s estranged nephew, Congress-PPP-CPI nominee Manpreet Singh Badal, faces his daughter in law Harsimrat Kaur Badal. More than the battle of ballot it is a war within the family.

The contest has provided hope for Manpreet, who was down in the dumps after the performance of his PPP in the last Assembly elections, when it did not win a single seat. He needs to prove himself more to the Badals than the electorate itself. With the Congress holding his hand this election, he has been working hard PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa, who faces BJP stalwart Vinod Khanna, is desperate to win since a defeat at this juncture will mean not only a loss of face but lower his stock within the party.

After all, he is projecting himself as the next chief minister. And the Congress had removed Amarinder as PPCC president after the party lost the last Assembly elections under his leadership and by-elections in state.

For Ambika Soni in Anandpur Sahib, who is facing SAD’s Prem Singh Chandumajra, a lot is at stake. She was specially fielded from this constituency after removing sitting MP and already announced Congress nominee Ravneet Singh Bittu.

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Amarinder’s wife Preneet Kaur, Union External Affairs Minister and three-time MP, is a Congress nominee from Patiala. A lot is at stake for her too, as she faces her one-time loyalist Deepinder Dhillon as SAD nominee. AAP candidate Dr Dharamvira Gandhi is threatening to make it a triangular contest. Congress Legislative Party leader Sunil Jakhar too is in fray in Ferozepore, facing SAD’s sitting MP Sher Singh Ghubaya.

As these stalwarts wait for the verdict of the people that will be locked in the EVMs on Wednesday, it is over to the voters now.

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