Political parties in fray for by-elections for two Assembly seats in Punjab are marketing their candidates well. The parties are underscoring the USPs (unique selling points) of their candidates, along with theirs, to woo the voters in Patiala and Talwandi Sabo Assembly segments for accepting them. While some are promising guaranteed after-elections services for the remaining term, the others are banking on the past performance and acceptability to project their durability.
Taking every advantage of being in power to woo the voters, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is seeking votes for its candidates promising “development” of the area. CM Parkash Singh Badal, only a day before, had promised the Talwandi Sabo voters to come back “to give more after the poll code is lifted”.
“We have deployed so many Ministers and Akali leaders here for the campaign. They will also pressurise the Government to speed up development here if Jeet Mohinder wins,” added Badal in his election rally.
SAD chief and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal has all along been promising the electors of Talwandi Sabo constituency to elect SAD-BJP combine candidate Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu, a former Congress MlA who resigned as legislator and joined SAD before 2014 polls.
The promises, that follow with the requests of making a turncoat Sidhu win Talwandi Sabo bypoll, are to hold series of sangat darshans in the segment, “resolving all problems”, ensuring adequate funds, loads of favours from Central Government, Centre’s among other things.
“Talwandi Sabo will gain once it elects an able leader in Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu to lead it in the Vidhan Sabha…,” said Sukhbir in one of the election rally promising “to hold a series of Sangat Darshans after the bypoll to resolve all issues of the area people”.
Talwandi Sabo Assembly constituency, that falls under Bathinda lok Sabha segment — Badal’s home constituency, has been marred by the State Government’s apathy for electing a Congress MlA at a time when the ruling Government left no stone unturned to dole funds to Bathinda.
Describing Sidhu as a turncoat and “betrayer”, Congress, on the other hand, is garnering votes for its candidate Harminder Singh Jassi, a former Bathinda MlA. Jassi is banking on his association with Dera Sacha Sauda — a sect headed by controversial leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim having reasonable stronghold in the area.
In Patiala (urban) Assembly segment, the SAD is promoting its candidate among the electors for being “someone among them”. Not having any developmental works to boast of in Patiala, the party is banking on Bhagwan Dass Juneja’s social works in the city, his image and being a Hindu face in a constituency having around 60 per cent Hindu voters.
In addition, Sukhbir has also drawn a parallel between Juneja and Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that alike Modi, “Juneja has also started his career from a tea stall and reached heights but never left any opportunity to serve the society”.
“One could easily see trees planted for environment conservation and benches installed beneath them by Juneja for common people to enjoy the nature,” said Sukhbir.
Moreover, the party is also maintaining that the Akali leaders, including Badal, Sukhbir, Union Minister Harsimrat Badal, and others, were “working round the clock” for the people, while the Congress leaders like Amritsar MP Capt Amarinder Singh, the state Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa “are not only known for their non performance but also their inaccessibility and arrogant behaviour”.
SAD is targeting the Congress for selecting members of the Patiala royal family as its candidates who have their own style of functioning like maharajas and maharanis and were never available for the people.
Congress has fielded Preneet Kaur, a former Union Minister and three-time Patiala MP, after her husband and former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh was elected as Member Parliament from Amritsar during 2014 general elections, and he resigned as Patiala MlA — the seat he won for three consecutive decades.
What favours the Congress and especially Preneet is Capt Amarinder’s presence, that was absent for her in lok Sabha election that cost her a defeat; besides their stature of being the royal leaders of the erstwhile Patiala royalty.
At the same time, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is banking on the victory of its Patiala MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, instead of its candidate in Patiala assembly — Harjeet Singh Adalitwala — a former Akali leader. In Talwandi Sabo, the AAP’s candidate Prof Baljinder Kaur, a college lecturer, is already charged of grabbing the land.