AAP, Congress are giving him a tough fight
Once a “cakewalk” for Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal, Jalalabad is proving to be a tough battle for him with some from Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claiming that this could well be the Waterloo of the 54-year-old Deputy Chief Minister.
Sukhbir is not only facing attack from two sitting MPs, contesting against him but also struggling hard to mitigate damaging effect of his trusted soldier turned foe Sher Singh Ghubaya, a prominent Rai Sikh (dalit), having influence in the belt.
When the AAP entered the Punjab political arena, the fight was expected to be triangular but not so fierce in this small border town.
It was the AAP that first threw up the challenge to Sukhbir in his citadel by fielding its most popular leader Bhagwant Mann, the sitting MP from Sangrur. Soon, the Congress too followed suit and fielded its young gun Ravneet Singh Bittu, the MP from ludhiana.
But, what makes the fight a cliffhanger for Sukhbir is the resurgent Ghubaya — SAD’s MP from Ferozepur lok Sabha seat of which Jalalabad assembly segment is a part.
Enjoying the support of Rai Sikh community which forms the major part of the Jalalabad Assembly segment, Ghubaya had played an instrumental role in Sukhbir’s victory in 2012 polls.
Securing 54 per cent of the total votes polled in 2012, Sukhbir won the seat by a margin of 5,0246 votes, defeating Congress’ Hans Raj Josan, who got just 20 per cent of the total vote share.
That was when the AAP factor was not there. During the 2014 parliamentary polls, when the AAP managed to win four seats out of total 13 in Punjab, Ghubaya won the Jalalabad Assembly segment by a margin of 32,888 votes, against Congress stalwart Sunil Jakhar. While Ghubaya secured 81,948 votes, Jakhar bagged 49,060 votes, and AAP’s SP Kamboj finished third securing 12,594 votes — just nine per cent of the total votes polled.
Now, the Ghubaya family and Josan are canvassing for the Congress. Moreover, the Congress is expecting to garner more votes from the Rai Sikh community, accounting for around 60,000 votes that is about one-third of the total voters in the constituency, after it fielded Ghubaya’s son Davinder Singh Ghubaya from the neighbouring Fazilka Assembly seat.
Ghubaya parted ways with Sukhbir, for whom he gave up his Jalalabad seat, after differences cropped up between the two a few months ago as he felt totally neglected.
Owing to the development, reports were that Sukhbir may shift to some other constituency, or may contest from two seats. Known for his election management skills, Sukhbir stuck to his constituency after reportedly developing links with the Rai Sikh community through other leaders.
Other than Sangrur MP Mann and ludhiana MP Bittu, Sukhbir is also facing Ferozepur MP Ghubaya putting his prestige at stake in Jalalabad.
No doubt Sukhbir is a tough contestant, but the past performances of Mann and Bittu is posing even a tougher challenge for the Deputy Chief Minister.
Mann emerged as the candidate winning with the highest margin of votes in 2014 lok Sabha elections. In his first election hustings, the comedian-turned-politician won from Sangrur by a
whopping margin of 2,11,721 votes against the political bigwigs — SAD’s Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Congress’ Vijay Inder Singla.
Bittu, carrying the political legacy of slain chief minister Beant Singh, has stunned with his winning spree. Confidante of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, the 41-year-old Bittu has won his first election from Anandpur Sahib lok Sabha seat in 2009.
In 2014, the party shifted him to ludhiana when sitting Congress MP, Manish Tewari, withdrew, and he emerged victorious.
Once again laying its bet on Bittu, the Congress has picked him to challenge Sukhbir’s might in his home constituency, and to counter Mann’s witty magnetism.
Admitting himself to be an ‘outsider’, Bittu is banking on his “clean” and uncontroversial image and expected people to choose him over “corrupt” Sukhbir and “scandalous” Mann.
In one of his rallies, he had said Mann was “a good orator and a popular comedian but that is not enough to run a Government…These are not lok Sabha elections that Mann can make it easily based on his popularity. Mann is no doubt a crowd puller, but not my main competitor”.
Beant Singh’s grandson believed that his family legacy coupled with his works in tackling the drug menace would work in his favour.
The issue of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib and no arrests in the case, besides Sukhbir’s failure as Home Minister to ensure law and order in his constituency is being exploited by both Bittu and Mann.
Mann is attracting crowds, especially in the villages dominated by the Rai Sikh community. But his recent acts, attending religious meeting in allegedly drunken state, live streaming of Parliament, among others, have made him the controversy’s child. His opponents were seen taking dig at the satirist for the same.
Sukhbir, who had initially declared that he would visit Jalalabad “just once” for campaigning, has to roll up his sleeves and addressed series of public meetings and rallies. However, his campaign started on a bad note with some disgruntled elements throwing stones at his cavalcade.
During his rallies in Jalalabad, Sukhbir boast of spending Rs 400 crore on upgrading sewerage and water works, among other development works-which his rivals says was all “useless”.
Jalalabad is mainly a rural constituency with around 40,000, out of its 1.9 lakh voters, living in the town - little over 20 per cent. While people in the urban segment seem to be backing Bittu, Mann is succeeding in wooing their rural counterparts.
However, Ghubaya’s unverified video, allegedly in an intimate position with a woman, has apparently changed the equations in the constituency. While Ghubaya has called it a conspiracy by the Akalis to intimidate him and to insult the Rai Sikh community, it was to be seen whether Ghubaya would manage to divert the Rai Sikh votes in Congress’ favour.
What impact the video would have now would be clear on February 4.