Sangrur: Ruling party pulls out all stops to retain stronghold

Tribune News Service

Parvesh Sharma

Sangrur, June 21

It’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) versus the Opposition in the June 23 Sangrur Lok Sabha byelection. While AAP is looking to build on the resounding victory it secured during the recent Assembly elections with another win, other parties are aiming at cutting into the ruling party’s votes to a larger extent.

Battle of prestige

It’s a battle of prestige for AAP. The victory will send a strong signal at the national level. If it loses, the Opposition will target it further. Political analyst

AAP legislators in all 9 segments

All nine Assembly segments, which are part of the parliamentary constituency, have AAP MLAs, who won by huge margins in the recent polls.

Many see it as an “election of prestige” for AAP. The presence of big guns from the ruling party during the campaigning shows how big this LS byelection is. Even Opposition parties, too, put their top leaders at the forefront to make inroads into Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s bastion. Mann vacated the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat after getting elected as an MLA from Dhuri segment. Presently, all nine Assembly segments, which are part of the parliamentary constituency, have AAP MLAs, who won by huge margins.

Despite taking some people-friendly decisions in the last three months, the AAP government finds itself in the eye of the storm for the rising crime graph in Punjab, with the murder of singer-politician Sidhu Moosewala serving a big blow to it.

Desperation caused by the fear of anti-incumbency among AAP can be gauged from the fact that besides local MLAs, it deputed teams of legislators and ministers from other parts of the state to reach out to each and every voter of the segment. Moreover, CM Mann conducted roadshows and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal also campaigned on Monday.

AAP has given ticket to district president Gurmail Singh, Congress to former Dhuri MLA Dalvir Singh Goldy, SAD to Kamaldeep Kaur Rajoana, BJP to Kewal Singh Dhillon and SAD (Amritsar) to Simranjit Singh Mann.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring took potshots at the Chief Minister in a satirical manner while canvassing for Goldy. It’s first time that the pictures of all SAD leaders, including Badals, are missing from the posters of party candidate Kamaldeep Kaur Rajoana. Party is seeking votes in the name of Sikh prisoners. Having faced a humiliating defeat in the Assembly polls, the SAD seems to have decided to shift back to Panthik plank.

BJP leaders are trying to recapture the lost space due to the anti-farm law agitation at the Delhi borders. State BJP chief Ashwani Sharma along with many state and national level leaders campaigned for the party candidate, raising the issues of lawlessness in the state.

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