In a fight of ideologies between the father and son, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is all set to take advantage in Sangrur parliamentary constituency.
In what is being seen as a masterstroke by the party president Sukhbir Badal, the SAD may succeed in countering the campaign against the party by Akali stalwart and Rajya Sabha member Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa by fielding his son Parminder Singh Dhindsa from Sangrur.
Former Union Minister and Sangrur’s former MP Dhindsa was the first one to raise the banner of revolt against SAD’s current leadership and the direction towards which the decades-old panthic party is moving.
So that Dhindsa had openly demanded Sukhbir’s resignation to “save party’s image”. On the other hand, his son and sitting MLA Parminder Dhindsa has all along been working under junior Badal’s leadership.
Stepping down from all party posts in September 2018 citing “health issues and age”, SAD’s senior-most leader after party patron Parkash Singh Badal, Dhindsa had announced that neither he, nor anyone from his family would contest 2019 elections.
Dhindsa had, in fact, advised Parminder against contesting as SAD candidate under Sukhbir’s leadership, while making it clear that he would not campaign for the party candidate, even if it is his son.
Despite senior Dhindsa’s advice of “not contesting from Sangrur on Akali ticket”, his son and sitting Lehra Gaga MLA is now out in the field as the SAD decided to repose its faith in the Dhindsa family for the fourth consecutive time.
And now by fielding his son as SAD candidate, Sukhbir, who has mastered the election management skills, has managed to keep under check the senior Dhindsa’s rebellion voices.
“With this, Sukhbir has not only fielded a member of Dhindsa family which has a strong base in the segment, but would also check the anti-party campaign by the senior leader. A father would not campaign against his son,” a senior Akali leader said while talking with The Pioneer.
Parminder, sitting MLA from Lehra Gaga, has been a five-time MLA and remained Minister in Punjab’s Cabinet for 10 years. He will face sitting AAP MP Bhagwant Mann in May 19 elections in the state. Congress is yet to announce its candidate for the seat.
Mann, in a high-profile ballot battle during 2014 Lok Sabha elections, defeated SAD-BJP combine candidate Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa with the highest margin in the state during 2014 polls of more than two lakh votes, pushing the sitting Congress MP Vijay Inder Singla to the third spot.
In his first Lok Sabha elections, Mann received 5,33,237 (51.46 percent of the total votes polled) votes against 3,21,516 votes (31.03 percent) casted for the runner up Dhindsa. Congress’ Singla bagged 1,81,410 votes (17.51 percent).