The Punjab Youth Congress on Tuesday created history of sorts by electing its president from a non-political background. Rising from the grassroots, a party worker Amarpreet Singh lalli was elected PYC president.
lalli’s victory comes at a time when party’s national vice-president Rahul Gandhi has been insisting on handing over positions of power to the leaders from the grassroots, and who have actually worked for the party.
He defeated Kulbir Singh Zira, son of Congress party Kisan Cell chief Inderjit Singh Zira, and Kushbaz Singh Jatana — considered as close aides of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Partap Singh Bajwa, besides sitting MlA Sukhjinder Randhawa’s son Deepinder Randhawa, Punjab NSUI president Daman Bajwa, and Poonam Kangra.
lalli has secured the highest votes in the direct elections conducted at the instance of Rahul Gandhi, who chose Punjab as pilot state to revive internal democracy in the party. He was polled 4447 votes against his nearest rival Kulbir Singh Zira who got 2625 votes.
Other aspirants, Jatana, Randhawa, Bajwa and Kangra, got 1222, 527, 377 and 220 votes, respectively.
lalli’s success by a margin of over 1800 votes is also being seen as a setback for the Bajwa camp and boost for the former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh & Co. However, lalli described his victory as “Rahul Gandhi’s victory”.
Other than Capt Amarinder, lalli also had the backing of former Union Minister Ambika Soni and former MP Vijay Inder Singla. In fact, Singla virtually spearheaded lalli’s election campaign.
Not extending his open support to any candidate as two of his close aides — Zira and Jatana — were in the fray for the PYC president elections, Bajwa maintained that he was staying away from the election in accordance with the directives of the party high command.
Marking a clear cut departure from the convention of choosing candidates from political backgrounds, lalli has risen through the ranks and was earlier Hoshiarpur Youth Congress’ district president.
Hailing from Hoshiarpur, lalli is the third PYC president. His predecessors — Ravneet Singh Bittu and Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary — were from celebrated political families. Sitting ludhiana MP Bittu, the first PYC chief, is the grandson of Punjab’s former Chief Minister Beant Singh. He was followed by Vikramjit Chaudhary, the son of Jalandhar MP Santokh Chaudhary.
Even the presidents of youth congress committees 13 lok Sabha constituencies in the state, the names of which were announced a day before, are the kith and kin of senior Congress leaders or party office bearers.
Former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal’s son Rahul Inder Singh Sidhu was elected from Sangrur, MlA Sukhbinder Sarkaria’s nephew Dilraj Sarkaria was elected from Amritsar, PPCC secretary Gurdeep Singh Paddha’s son Gurinder Singh Paddha was elected from Gurdaspur, among others.
“lalli’s election is in sync with Rahul Gandhi’s desire of having at the helm of affairs people who have risen from the ranks by dint of hard work,” Sangrur’s former MP Vijay Inder Singla told The Pioneer.
Singla, who brought lalli to the forefront in 2007 by nominating him as youth congress president for Hoshiarpur, said that lalli “is the real party worker who has worked for the party, and hails from a very mediocre family with no political background”.
lalli was first elected Hoshiarpur district Youth Congress chief in 2008, followed by his election as Youth Congress vice-president in Hoshiarpur, three years later, after president’s post was reserved for scheduled caste.
Thanking the voters for voting him into the power, lalli said that PYC’s aim would be to fight against the drug menace in Punjab and to strengthen the PYC and Punjab Pradesh Congress in the state.
“PYC would work hard to make Congress successful in 2017 assembly elections in the state,” he said.
Congratulating the newly elected body of Punjab Youth Congress, PPCC president Bajwa said that the newly elected PYC body will work toward strengthening the Congress party in Punjab in view of coming Assembly Elections.
Also hailing successful youth Congress elections, Capt Amarinder also congratulated the newly elected team of office bearers including the PYC president Amarpreet Singh lalli.
“The youth Congress workers and delegates have set an example by maintaining the dignity of the election process in the most disciplined manner…I congratulate all those who participated in the elections including those who are elected and those who could not be as what matters is the active participation of the new generation of our young leaders in the process,” he said.
Bajwa’s nephew Kanwar Partap Singh Bajwa, who was elected as the PYC’s general secretary, said that he would strengthen the party and organization by devoting his full time.