Punjab leaders back in action as election result date draws near

Ruchika M. Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 25 

Vacationing over after the high-intensity February 4 Punjab election and with results just 13 days away, it’s back to the political arena for most of the top leaders of Congress, Akali-BJP coalition and Aam Aadmi Party. And though jittery, each is putting up a brave face.

AAP, a favourite in the satta market, is regrouping its cadres and leaders, beginning tomorrow, while Akalis, who moved lock, stock and barrel to Delhi for the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) polls are expected back here on Monday, a day after the elections.

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Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, who returned from USA earlier this week, told The Tribune, “Akali Dal workers and leaders did not rest like the ‘maharajas’ (taking a dig at Capt Amarinder Singh). I went to USA for my father’s medical check-up, but since my arrival, we are holding fort for the DSGMC polls. After polling, I will be back in Chandigarh, meeting our party workers and leaders."

Seeming confident, leaders of the Congress — that has been given an edge by Intelligence agencies — are busy with their personal and social engagements. Capt Amarinder, who suffered a twisted tendon in the foot during the last days of campaigning, says he is recuperating well. “I have been meeting all party leaders. After a successful launch of my biography, I am moving to Delhi on Sunday to participate in the wedding celebrations of my grandson, Nirvan,” he said.

AAP leaders, including star campaigner Bhagwant Mann, Sanjay Singh, Durgesh Pathak and office-bearers, are meeting in Nakodar tomorrow. The idea, says chief ministerial aspirant and Sangrur MP Mann, is to make an assessment of the polls. “I will also launch a programme ‘Jazbe Nu Salaam’ to honour our volunteers who are watching over the strongrooms where the EVMs are kept.”

Barely two or three days after the polls, almost all leaders and candidates went for a brief hiatus. While the Badal clan flew to the US, Capt Amarinder took a break in Himachal Pradesh. Mann joined his party supremo Arvind Kejriwal for a detoxification (gut detoxification) programme in Bengaluru, while AAP’s Punjab convener Gurpreet Singh Waraich is back to the studios, shooting for the films he has signed for.

While the top leaders exude confidence of a win, many other candidates are taking the satta route, to recover the money they have spent on the election. In spite of a limit of Rs 28 lakh fixed by the Election Commission, the candidates in private admit to spending 10 to 15 times more. To recover this, many, cutting across party lines, have reportedly placed their bets on which party is winning or losing on March 11.