Moving ahead of all political parties in announcing the candidates for 2022 state assembly polls, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday declared the names of three more candidates. Its ally, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), has also declared the candidature of its state unit president Jasvir Singh Garhi from Phagwara (reserved) assembly constituency.
At the time when the ruling Congress is embroiled in severe infighting, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is in the hunt for its chief ministerial face, the SAD and BSP are step ahead in preparing for the crucial 2022 polls, slated to be held in about next six months.
As of now, Akali Dal, which has already announced to contest next state assembly polls in alliance with BSP after breaking off its ties from the saffron party, has already announced more than a dozen candidates.
Sukhbir Badal, who was in Bathinda as a part of SAD’s mass outreach programme, announced the candidature of former Minister Sikander Singh Maluka from Rampura Phul, Parkash Singh Bhatti from Bathinda Rural, and Darshan Singh Kotfatta from Bucho. However, Maluka refused to contest from Rampura Phul constituency after his name figured in the list of three candidates, while maintaining that the ticket should be given to his son — Gurpreet Singh Maluka. He expressed interest in contesting polls from Maur.
Maluka, after his candidature for Rampura Phul seat was announced, said that his son Gurpreet Singh Maluka has been working in this constituency for the last one year and the ticket should be given to his son.
He maintained that the party did not consult him before announcing his name for the Rampura Phul seat. At the same time, Maluka said that he should be fielded from Maur seat.
Meanwhile, BSP declared its state unit chief Garhi as the candidate from Phagwara (reserved) assembly seat for the 2022 state polls, during its massive Alakh Jagao rally organised by BSP’s national coordinator Akash Anand, who is also the nephew of party supremo Mayawati.
As per the seat-sharing arrangement between the SAD and BSP, the Mayawati-led BSP will fight 20 of the 117 assembly seats, while the rest will be contested by the Akali Dal.
SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, several Akali MLAs and leaders, and BSP’s senior leadership, including party’s national vice-president Anand Kumar, were present on the occasion.
Addressing the SAD-BSP rally, Sukhbir said that a “toofan” (storm) had begun blowing against the Congress government in Punjab.
“SAD-BSP alliance has unnerved the Congress, BJP and AAP...The next government will be of the SAD-BSP combine,” said Sukhbir. He also talked about SAD’s 13-point programme wherein it made poll promises, including free power up to 400 units per month for all households, slashing diesel price by Rs 10 a litre for agriculture sector and reserving 75 per cent for Punjabi youths in private sector. Claiming that the SAD-BSP alliance will last for 25-40 years or more, he said that Akali Dal snapped ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) because it “stabbed” Punjabis and farmers in their back.
He also cautioned voters against “frauds” of Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal and also attacked Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh.
Meanwhile, all leaders present at the rally flayed the use of ‘force’ by the Haryana police against farmers in Karnal on Saturday.
They also delayed their arrival at the rally venue, respecting the two-hour blockade called by Punjab farmers to protest the lathicharge against Haryana farmers.