AAP rookies vs seasoned players

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 17

Harjinder Singh ‘Kaka Sran’, son of a driver and AAP candidate from Ferozepur, has seen drug abuse from close quarters in the death of his younger brother. Prof Tejpal Singh from Ludhiana has a PhD in ‘organisation and working of model jails’, besides being a student leader in Panjab University. Anandpur Sahib candidate Narinder Singh Shergill is the three-time president of the Punjabi University Students’ Union.

From a retired judge, an ex-soldier, a doctor, professors, student leaders, a sarpanch to a small land-holding farmer, the Aam Aadmi Party has tried to give ticket to different sections of society.

The party has entered the poll arena claiming that their candidates in Punjab have rose from the ground and are well-versed with common people’s problems and this will make a difference in the Lok Sabha elections.

“Our Davids will beat Goliaths,” said Bhagwant Mann, MP and state president. “The AAP promised to pick leaders from the masses and five years after the party fought first elections, our team of volunteers is ready,” he added.

Learning from the debacle in the 2017 Assembly elections and the infighting, the AAP has trusted in its own team this time. The only exception is ex-Congress MLA Harbans Kaur Dullo, wife of former president of the Punjab Congress, Shamsher Singh Dullo, who has been given ticket from Fatehgarh Sahib.

From Patiala, the AAP has chosen Neena Mittal, who belongs to a business family of Rajpura. She was also a ticket contender for the 2017 Assembly elections. She got into reckoning on the basis of her social work and street protests on civic amenities and other issues. 

The party has given two more seats to women leaders. Talwandi Sabo MLA Baljinder Kaur from Bathinda and Harbans Kaur Dullo from Fatehgarh Sahib. 

Barring four candidates, rest all are under 50 years with almost half of them being less than 40 years old. The party has given ticket to an ex-soldier Manjinder Singh Sidhu, a national-level shooter, from Khadoor Sahib. 

Peter Masih from Gurdaspur had left AAP in favour of Sucha Singh Chhotepur’s Apna Punjab Party but returned to get a ticket from Gurdaspur. He had played role in installation of hand pumps for poor families in several villages. 

Justice Zora Singh (retd), party candidate from Jalandhar,  had inquired into the sacrilege incidents during the SAD-BJP tenure. He was cold-shouldered by the Akalis and his findings were not followed or implemented.