Lok Sabha-2019 elections in Punjab are turning out to be a mishmash of actors, singers, comedian, medicos, a retired Judge, babus, besides people from different walks of life.
In fray is a political greenhorn but a seasoned actor Sunny Deol, a comedian-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann, a Punjabi folk singer Mohd Sadique and a Punjabi pop singer Jassi Jasraj (Karan Jasbir), and a retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice Jora Singh.
Besides, five retired bureaucrats are set to take the political plunge exploring field outside babudom, while three practicing doctors have also thrown their hat in the electoral ring. And there is a human rights activist, a former journalist, an ex-soldier, a Polo player, among others entering the active politics to bring about a change.
While the traditional political players in the state have reposed their faith on the seasoned politicians, it is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the newly-created Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA) which have added a flavour to the otherwise serious ballot battle.
Making the polls a “glamorous” event is BJP nominee Sunny Deol with his ‘Gadar’ entry in the ‘border’ constituency of Gurdaspur — a seat which the Congress is expecting to triumph over without much effort. Congress’ Sunil Jakhar had won the seat 2017 by-election necessitate after the death of BJP’s four-time MP Vinod Khanna.
BABUS TO NETA
For May 19 elections, the state’s regional party — Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) — has fielded tried and tested leaders, except a former bureaucrat Darbara Singh Guru, who had unsuccessfully contested two assembly elections in 2012 and 2017.
Contesting his first parliamentary election from Fatehgarh Sahib reserve seat as SAD-BJP nominee, Guru is facing another retired bureaucrat Dr Amar Singh — a Congress nominee. Guru retired as the Principal Secretary to Punjab’s former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, while Dr Amar Singh retired as the Principal Secretary to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister.
A doctor by profession, Dr Amar Singh got selected for Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) and worked as a doctor in Samrala and Civil Surgeon office at Ludhiana before joining the IAS. During his 32 years as an IAS, he served as Deputy Commissioner of four districts and secretary to CM for 10 years.
Guru, on the other hand, joined IAS in 1980 and retired in 2011. And during his tenure, he worked on various posts, including sub-divisional magistrate, Bhatinda DC, Director Public Relation, among others besides remaining CM’s principal secretary from 2007 to 2011.
Likewise, two more babus are set to lock horns in Hoshiarpur. BJP nominee Som Parkash, a sitting MLA from Phagwara and a former IAS officer who had served as Hoshiarpur DC, is facing another retired IAS — Khushi Ram — a BSP candidate contesting under the PDA banner. Ram had served as SDM in Phagwara and Dasuya towns when he was a PCS officer.
Both Parkash and Ram were PCS officers who were later promoted to IAS, and now they will be facing two specialist doctors — Congress candidate and sitting MLA from Chabbewal Dr Raj Kumar and AAP’s candidate Dr Ravjot Singh.
While Dr Kumar is MD (radio-diagnosis) and has his scanning centres in Hoshiarpur and few other places, Dr Ravjoit is MD (medicine) and is one of the busy medicine specialists in the town.
Another bureaucrat in the fray is BJP nominee from Amritsar Hardeep Singh Puri, who is presently the Union Minister of State with independent charge in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
A 1974-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Puri had been stationed at important diplomatic posts in Brazil, Japan, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom, besides serving as the chairman of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Counter-Terrorism Committee from January 2011 to February 2013, and as President of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in August 2011 and November 2012.
Puri, a sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh, is contesting his first Lok Sabha election against Congress sitting MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, and AAP’s Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal.
Besides Dr Raj Kumar and Dr Ravjot, another medico in the fray is sitting MP from Patiala, Dr Dharamvir Gandhi. A social worker-cum-cardiologist-turned-politician, Dr Gandhi has made clear his intentions to cause the downfall of the Patiala’s royal family — a process he initiated in 2014 by defeating “Maharani” Preneet Kaur by a margin of 20,900 votes in his electoral debut.
The 67-year-old MP is confident of conquering the seat this time again even as he had left AAP and floated his own political outfit Nawan Punjab Party (NPP).
Among others giving a new essence to the poll battlefield are a retired judge, Justice Jora Singh as AAP candidate from Jalandhar, who is known for heading a one-man commission to probe sacrilege and related firing cases of 2015 under SAD-BJP regime.
Besides a human rights activist and widow of “martyr” Jaswant Singh Khalra, Bibi Paramjit Kaur Khalra, is also challenging the traditional politicians from the panthic sat of Khadoor Sahib as joint candidate of PDA.
A former journalist Balwinder Kumar is also contesting from Jalandhar as PDA candidate, while an engineer Manwinder Singh Giaspura, who raised the issue of Sikh genocide at Hond Chillar in Haryana, will contest from Fatehgarh Sahib.
SLAPSTICK COMEDIAN
For him, 2019 election is a challenge, and not just laughter. Coming to fame through a national TV show Laughter Challenge, Punjab-based stand-up comedian Bhagwant Mann has taken politics quite seriously. Wresting Sangrur with the highest margin in 2014 elections, he is heading AAP’s state unit to improve its previous performance in the parliamentary elections.
CROONING TO GLORY
Renowned Punjabi folk singer Mohd Sadique, who has been MLA from Bhadaur, is trying his luck in the elections, but contesting from a Lok Sabha seat is just like a performing on a different stage. Besides, Punjabi singer-actor Jassi Jasraj, also known as Karan Jasbir and Jasbir Singh Longia, is also contesting elections as joint candidate of PDA.