PUNJAB POLL 2022: Khanna in for multi-cornered contest, first time in history

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, January 17

Khanna, famous for Asia’s largest grain market, is in for a multi-cornered contest, first time in the history, during the state Assembly polls slated for February 20.

The sitting two-time Congress MLA Gurkirat Singh Kotli, who was inducted as Industries Minister in the rejigged Punjab Council of Ministers following the replacement of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh with Charanjit Singh Channi in September last, has been pitted against the new faces — Tarunpreet Singh of the principal Opposition party Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Jasdeep Kaur of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) alliance, this time.

Jasdeep Kaur, wife of controversial Youth Akali Dal (YAD) leader Yadwinder Singh, alias Yadu, who was facing multiple criminal cases, including murder, has replaced party heavyweight Ranjit Singh Talwandi, who had finished third with 31,845 votes and had parted ways to join the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt).

However, the two newly-floated outfits of farmers — Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM), comprising 19 farm unions, including the one led by Balbir Singh Rajewal, and Sanyukt Sangharsh Party (SSP), formed by Haryana farm leader Gurnam Singh Charuni — besides a new-found alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), SAD (Sanyukt) and former CM Capt Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) — were yet to announce their candidates for this rural seat.

With an increase of over 6 per cent electorates, the Khanna Assembly constituency has registered 1,69,510 voters, including 89,081 male, 80,427 female, and two third gender, for the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections. It was an increase of 9,758 electors from 1,59,752 electorates registered in this segment in 2017.

The previous Assembly poll held in 2017 had scripted a history in Khanna when slain Chief Minister Beant Singh’s grandson Kotli (48) had retained the seat on the Congress ticket by defeating his nearest rival Anil Dutt Phally (64) of the AAP by a margin of 20,591 votes, which was 183 per cent more than his 2017’s victory margin, in a triangular contest, the first at that time. Kotli had polled 55,690 votes, which constituted 44.29 per cent of the total polled votes, while Phally had got 35,099 votes, accounting for 27.92 per cent vote share. SAD’s heavyweight Ranjit Singh Talwandi (65) had managed 31,845 votes, constituting 25.33 per cent vote share, to end third. All other seven nominees in the fray had even lost their security deposits. BSP candidate Shashi Vardhan (64) had polled mere 1,202 votes, accounting for 0.96 per cent vote share. As many as 850 voters had opted for “none of the above” (NOTA), which constituted 0.68 per cent of the total votes polled, and it was more than the votes polled by other six candidates.

In 2012, Kotli had trounced Talwandi of the SAD by a margin of 7,278 votes. The winning Congress nominee had polled 45,045 votes, which accounted for 38.36 per cent vote share, while the runners-up SAD candidate had got 37,767 votes, constituting 32.16 per cent of the total polled votes. Gurpreet Singh of the People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) had finished third with 23,370 votes, accounting for 19.9 per cent vote share. At that time also, other seven nominees, including the BSP’s Navjot Singh Mandair, had lost their security deposits.

In the past, the SAD’s Bikramjit Singh had defeated Shamsher Singh Dullo of the Congress in 2007, Harbans Kaur of the Congress had trounced Satwinder Kaur Dhaliwal of the SAD in 2002, the SAD’s Bachan Singh had won by defeating Dullo of the Congress in 1997, Dullo of the Congress had defeated Mohinder Pal of the BJP in 1992, SAD’s Sukhdev Singh had won by trouncing Dullo of the Congress in 1985, Dullo had defeated Amar Singh of the CPI in 1980, Bachan Singh of the SAD had won by defeating Dullo of the Congress in 1977, Prithvi Singh Azad of the Congress had trounced Bachan Singh of the SAD in 1972, SAD’s Naurang Singh had won by defeating Dhamma Singh of the Congress in 1969, G Singh of the RPI had won by trouncing B Singh of the Congress in 1967 and Jagir Singh of the Congress had defeated Naurang Singh of the SAD in 1962.

The twin winners

Gurkirat Singh Kotli (Cong): 2017, 2012

Shamsher Singh Dullo (Cong): 1992, 1980

Bachan Singh (SAD): 1997, 1977

Party position

Congress won 7 times

SAD won 5 times

RPI won once

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