Political bigwigs of almost all major political parties in Punjab are busy campaigning for themselves rather than their party colleagues due to what is considered as a tough elections this time.
Facing strong opponents, they have, by and large, been forced not to campaign for other candidates if their party and are virtually pinned down to their own constituencies.
Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) state unit chief Bhagwant Mann, SAD’s Bathinda MP and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, among many others, are restricted to fight their own battle in their respective constituencies.
Even as the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal are touring across the state, campaigning and addressing election rallies in the support of almost all party candidates, both of them are ensuring to spend most of their time in their home grounds.
Taking the charge of his fortress Patiala, Capt Amarinder has been aggressively campaigning for his wife and party candidate Preneet Kaur, who is facing a tough challenge from the sitting MP Dharamvir Gandhi.
Gandhi, the then AAP candidate, had stunned Preneet, who was the then sitting MP holding the seat for the past three elections and was also the Union Minister at that time.
Even as Gandhi fell apart with the AAP in 2015, he recently floated his own party and is contesting the elections as the joint candidate of the mahagathbandhan — Punjab Democratic Alliance which is a conglomeration of six political outfits.
Massive support to the cardiologist-turned-politician is giving sleepless nights to the Patiala Royals forcing the Chief Minister to largely concentrate on his home constituency.
Moreover, the Congress high command had issued strict directives to all party MLAs and the Ministers holding them accountable for the performance of party candidates, which too applies on the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder who is Patiala urban MLA.
Besides, the Badals — SAD-BJP combine candidate from Bathinda Harsimrat, five-time Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Harsimrat’s brother Bikram Singh Majithia — are also infusing their all effort in saving their pocket borough — Bathinda.
Besides Harsimrat — who is seeking re-election from the constituency for securing a hattrick this time, the Akali patriarch is also camping in the constituency to ensure victory of his daughter-in-law who is facing a tough battle against three sitting lawmakers — Congress’ Gidderbaha MLA Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, AAP’s Talwandi Sabo MLA Professor Baljinder Kaur, and PDA’s Sukhpal Singh Khaira who is Bholath MLA.
Not only the senior Badal and Majithia is assertively campaigning for ensuring victory of the Badal bahu, the prevailing anger against the Akali Dal has forced the third generation of the Badals to come out of their houses.
Despite past claims of Sukhbir-Harsimrat of keeping their children away from the politics, their son and daughter were seen accompanying Harsimrat or attending the party events.
Similarly, Sukhbir, who is contesting from Ferozepur Lok Sabha constituency, is more focused on his seat, while also ensuring to campaign for party’s other candidates.
Locked in a fierce battle against the first-timer actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol, Punjab Congress president and Gurdaspur’s sitting MP Sunil Jakhar is also limited to save his own seat.
Despite being the state unit chief and star campaigner, Jakhar has not moved out of his constituency and campaigned for any other candidate.
Jakhar, who won Gurdaspur by-election with a massive margin of over 1.93 lakh votes, went on the back foot after ‘Punjab da Puttar’ Sunny Deol’s entry in the border seat.
Stakes are high for Jakhar as he had lost 2014 elections from his native Ferozepur Lok Sabha constituency, and then from his bastion Abohar assembly constituency in 2017. He managed to break the jinx by winning bypoll under the Congress’ government.
In the same way, AAP’s Punjab president and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann is also sailing in the same boat.
Party’s most popular face and known for attracting huge crowds with his humour-laden speeches, Mann is toiling hard to save his own seat where he is facing challenge from Congress’ Kewal Singh Dhillon, SAD’s Parminder Singh Dhindsa, and PDA’s Jasbir Singh Longia — who was the former AAP leader.
So much so, that AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had campaigned for two days in Sangrur in Mann’s support.