It’s MP Chaudhary vs rest in Youth Cong poll

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 6

The elections to Jalandhar (Rural) Youth Congress posts that ended on Friday turned out to be a contest between local MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh and the rest of the MLAs and halqa incharges as the former was in favour of Manvir Cheema while others supported Honey Joshi.

It is a well-known fact that Manvir Cheema is a protégé of the MP and his son Vikramjit Chaudhary, who has been the Punjab youth Congress president earlier. It is learnt that owing to some pending FIRs against Cheema in criminal cases, his candidature was stuck, which the Chaudharys got cleared at the last moment.

While the MP was himself in Delhi, Vikramjit reportedly personally monitored the polling in his constituency Phillaur (from where he had contested unsuccessfully in 2017) on Thursday and on Friday in Nakodar. Nakodar constituency incharge Jagbir Brar, Adampur incharge MS Kaypee and Kartarpur MLA Surinder Chaudhary were all in favour of Joshi and reportedly supported him for the elections through their contacts. Since Honey Joshi hails from Jandu Singha, which is a part of the Kartarpur Assembly seat, Surinder Chaudhary supported him out rightly.

It learnt that Joshi has drawn less support from Phillaur, which is Chaudhary’s own constituency.

In Shahkot, MLA Hardev Laddi is learnt to have discouraged youth voters from getting enrolled. There were only 130 voters and of them, only 23 cast their votes. Hence, the polling trend from this constituency will not have much influence.

In Nakodar, 377 of 1,400 voters cast their votes. In Phillaur, 294 of 1,200 voters chose their candidate on Tuesday. In Adampur, 525 of 2,600 voters could cast their votes.

Toss ‘decides’ winner in Shahkot

Not just MLA Hardev Laddi discouraged factionalism in the youth by getting less voters enrolled, he reportedly also got a toss done between two candidates going for the election to the president post on Friday. Thereafter, he got almost all 27 votes polled in favour of the toss winner, Harman Badesha. Khushdeep Dhanju, who lost the toss, will be the vice-president.