Punjab assembly elections: New faces and veterans

Congress, Ludhiana North

5 wins in 6 attempts, now the 7th: Pandey, 62, has been MLA for five times from Ludhiana (North) and is contesting for the seventh time in a row. He won the first four times in a row before losing to the BJP’s Harish Bedi in 2007. The first victory was in 1992, during the era of terrorism in Punjab. In 2002, Pandey became a minister in then CM Capt Amarinder Singh’s cabinet. His father Joginderpal Pandey, a former Union minister, was assassinated by terrorists in 1987.– By Kanchan Vasdev

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Gulzar Singh Ranike

SAD, Attari

5TH ATTEMPT BY PARTY’S SC WING HEAD: Ranike is a four-term MLA contesting is his fifth consecutive election from the same constituency. He began his political career by getting elected sarpanch of Ranike village in 1983. Elected MLA in 1997, 2002, 2007 and 2012, Ranike was first inducted into Parkash Singh Badal’s cabinet in 2007 with the portfolios of dairy, fisheries, welfare of SCs and BCs, sports & youth affairs, and animal husbandry. After winning in 2012, Ranike was given most of these portfolios, the exception being sports and youth affairs which Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal handled himself. Ranike also heads SAD’s SC wing.

Rupinder Kaur Ruby

AAP, Bathinda Rural (SC)

THE STUDENT CANDIDATE: Ruby, 27, is pitted against SAD candidate Amit Rattan and Congress nominee Harvinder Singh Laddi. She was given the AAP ticket after working as a volunteer for four years. A Masters degree holder in Law, Ruby is pursuing her PhD from Punjabi University in Patiala. She hails from Bathinda; her father is a retired government employee. She plans to continue her studies even if she wins the election. “Victory or defeat does not matter. I have been among the people for the last four years and will continue to do so. I will squeeze in some time for my studies also,” she says.

Harinderpal Singh Chandumajra

SAD, Sanour

MP CHANDUMAJRA’S SON: Harinderpal Singh Chandumajra, 36, is the son of SAD veteran Prem Singh Chandumajra, the Lok Sabha MP from Anandpur Sahib. In the run-up to the elections, SAD president Sukhbir Badal had appointed Harinderpal constituency-in-charge (halka-in-charge) of Sanour in Patiala and the party eventually declared him the candidate in the first list of 69. Prem Singh Chandumajra has campaigned extensively for his son.–By Navjeevan Gopal

Ajit Singh Kohar

SAD, Shahkot

MLA 4 TIMES IN A ROW: Kohar, 76, is a minister in Punjab , with the portfolios of transport, legal and legislative affairs, and elections. He is making an attempt at a fifth term in the assembly, the first four victories having come consecutively. Kohar was first elected in 1997, from Lohian in Jalandhar district, a seat that elected him in 2002 and 2007 too. After delimitation, Kohar won from the new constituency of Shahkot in 2012. He is contesting from Shahkot again. –By Navjeevan Gopal

Paramjit Singh Sachdeva
AAP, Hoshiarpur

SHAREBROKER & ‘HIGHEST’ TAXPAYER: A sharebroker known as a social activist involved with an institute for special children, Paramjit Singh Sachdeva is contesting an election for the first time. In his public meetings, he has been telling voters that he began as a newspaper hawker at a salary of Rs 150 and that with hard work he went on to become the highest income-tax payer in Hoshiarpur and highest service-tax payer in Punjab. As per his affidavit, his total assets including his spouse’s are over Rs 49 crore, one of the few wealthy candidates contesting on an AAP ticket. “Being rich is no crime if the money is earned by fair means,” he says in public meetings. He says he was initially reluctant to contest but decided to do so and try and “improve the system”. He is locked in a triangular contest with Sham Sunder Arora of the Congress and Tikshan Sud of the BJP.  — Navjeevan Gopal

Balbir Singh Ghunas
SAD, Bhadaur

BACK IN ORIGINAL SEAT: Ghunas, 59, is a four-time MLA, currently representing Dirba. He had won from Bhadaur in 1997, 2002 and 2007, then was fielded from Dirba last time, before being brought back to his citadel of Bhadaur. Hailing from a Panthic background, he is addressed by supporters as Sant Balbir Singh Ghunas. Both Dirba and Bhadaur are reserved constituencies in Barnala district. Ghunas’s rivals are AAP’s Pirmal Singh Dhaula and the Congress’s Joginder Singh.
Navjeevan Gopal