Swing vote to make all the difference in Bathinda

Perneet Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 22

With the SAD hoping to retain its bastion and the Congress eyeing to stage a coup at the high-profile Bathinda seat, it will be the AAP’s support base which will play a decisive role in the outcome of elections here tomorrow.

Five out of the nine Assembly segments are with AAP in Bathinda. The AAP movement, which was at its peak ahead of the 2017 Assembly polls, led to the party winning Bathinda (Rural), Maur, Mansa, Talwandi Sabo and Budhlada, while it bagged second spot in Bathinda (Urban) and Bhucho Mandi segments.

The party was polled 4.47 lakh votes the nine Assembly constituencies. However, with the party’s graph witnessing a decline over the last couple of years, those who voted for AAP in 2017 would play a critical role in deciding the poll verdict. AAP doesn’t seem to be in a position to capitalise on the gains it made in 2017, particularly in the aftermath of the rebellion by Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira who has not only floated his own party but is also contesting from Bathinda.

Moreover, Mansa MLA Nazar Singh Manshahia, who was initially supporting Khaira, recently joined the Congress, while Maur MLA Jagdev Singh Kamalu is still siding with him. Manshahia had got the maximum votes (70,586) among AAP MLAs from here, followed by Kamalu (62,282).

Both SAD and Congress went out of their way to woo the voters in these five segments, while Khaira too tried to garner their support, projecting his party as an alternative to the traditional political forces. AAP fielded its Talwandi Sabo MLA Baljinder Kaur this time, but her campaign was low profile. In 2014 LS polls, AAP candidate Jassi Jasraj had got around 88,000 votes.

The stakes are high for both major political parties, particularly the Akali Dal, which is defending its stronghold. Moreover, SAD chief Sukhbir Badal’s wife Harsimrat Kaur probably faced her toughest electoral battle in view of the fact that the party was out of power in the state and it was also facing backlash over the sacrilege issue in Malwa.

Incidentally, while SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal could not campaign much for Harsimrat in Bathinda due to age factor, Sukhbir too remained busy in Ferozepur where he is pitted against Congress’ Sher Singh Ghubaya. It was primarily left to Harsimrat and her brother Bikram Singh Majithia to carry the party’s campaign on their shoulders.

However, the SAD succeeded in giving a major push to its campaign in the last leg with Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding a rally on May 14 here. Besides, the party also roped in Bollywood actors Sunny Deol and Hema Malini to hold roadshows on May 16.

On the other hand, the Congress too pulled out all stops to ensure that Amrinder Singh Raja Warring gives a tough fight to Harsimrat with AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi and Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh holding rallies in his support.

Warring along with his wife Amrita ran a spirited campaign, projecting it as a fight between “commoner and mighty”, apart from exploiting the issue of sacrilege against the SAD to the hilt. However, the closing day of the campaign turned out to be dramatic with Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu opening a front against the CM instead of resorting to “Badal bashing” which the people had expected him to.

Meanwhile, both parties are claiming that the heavy polling, though less than the 2014 polls, would work to their advantage. Bathinda recorded 74.10 per cent polling, the highest in the state.

High-stake seat

• The SAD succeeded in giving a major push to its campaign in the last leg with Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding a rally on May 14 here. Besides, the party also roped in Bollywood actors Sunny Deol and Hema Malini to hold roadshows on May 16.

• The Congress pulled out all stops to ensure that Amrinder Singh Raja Warring gives a tough fight to Harsimrat with AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi and Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh holding rallies in his support.