SAD leaders adopt fresh strategy for repoll

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Lambi, September 21 

Learning a lesson from Thursday’s poll when the Congress leaders had confined senior SAD leaders to Mandi Killianwali, the SAD leadership on Friday assigned duties to senior leaders in different villages.

For instance, SAD candidate from Killianwali Zila Parishad zone, Tejinder Singh Middukhera, Sukhbir Badal’s cousin Bobby Badal and Sukhbir’s PA Gurwinder Singh Vanwala camped at Mann village.

Similarly, SAD’s Lambi circle in-charge Avtar Singh Vanwala remained present at Bhagu village. 

Further, the former Chief Minister’s personal assistant Balkaran Singh remained present at Mehna village. 

Former Lambi Panchayat Samiti chairman Gurbakshish Singh ‘Vicky’ Middukhera remained present at Mandi Killianwali.

Other party leaders — Manjit Singh Lalbai, Ranjodh Singh Lambi and Amardeep Singh Beedowali — were present at the party’s Badal village office, completing forms of the party’s counting agents.

Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal remained present at his Badal village residence. 

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal too was present at his residence till morning, but left at about 10.45 am. He, however, kept inquiring about the situation by making phone calls to his party candidates.

On the other hand, Congress’ Zila Parishad candidate from Killianwali zone, Ravinderpal Singh, remained present most of the time at Mann village. 

He too had assigned duties to other party leaders and his family members in other villages.

Notably, the repoll was held on Friday at polling booth number 49 at Mandi Killianwali, booth numbers 104, 105 and 106 at Mann, booth number 86 at Mehna and booth number 121 at Bhagu village for the Killianwali Zila Parishad zone.

This is one of the key contests in Muktsar district as Badal village too falls in this zone and Sukhbir’s close aide Tejinder Singh Middukhera is in the fray.