Neck and neck in Adampur
From A.S.
Prashar
Tribune News Service
ADAMPUR (Jalandhar), Nov
17 A tough triangular electoral battle is shaping
up among the SAD, the Congress and the BSP for candidates
the Adampur byelection scheduled for November 25.
The byelection, which has
been caused by the death of Akali Minister Saroop Singh,
has aroused a statewide interest because more than the
candidates, it has become a trial of strength between
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and PCC chief
Capt Amarinder Singh.
For the Congress leader,
it is his first electoral test after he became the PCC
chief in place of Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal who resigned
in the sake of a series of electoral reverses by the
Congress in the parliamentary and the state assembly
elections as well as byelections.
Apparently conscious of
the fact that a Congress defeat in the Adampur byelection
will put a question mark on his leadership, Capt
Amarinder Singh is doing all he can to improve the
electoral prospects of his party's candidate, Mr
Kanwaljit Singh Lalli. Known for his rather laid-back
style of functioning, he is this time drawing admiration
from the rank and file of his party for his non-stop
barnstorming tour of the constituency.
Mr Badal faces the third
assembly byelection after he became the Chief Minister in
February last. He is doing everything possible to make
sure that his party, which earlier won the byelections in
Qila Raipur and Sham Chaurasi, completes the hat-trick in
Adampur. A tireless campaigner, Mr Badal has been leading
the party's campaign and is leaving nothing to chance.
Almost the entire Council of Ministers, including BJP
ministers, has been camping here for the past nearly
three weeks to ensure the victory of SAD nominee Dalbir
Singh Dhirowal.
The third major candidate
in the field for the seat is Mrs Vidwant Kaur (BSP), a
former chairman of the mahila wing of the district
Congress. She joined the BSP on being denied the Congress
ticket. About 38 per cent of the electorate of the
constituency is SC. Her poll managers are pinning hopes
on this section.
Also in the field is Mr
Anoop Singh Minhas put up by the Akali Dal (Amritsar) led
by Mr Simranjit Singh Mann. He is being supported by the
Akali Dal (Democratic) headed by Mr Kuldip Singh Wadala.
Adampur is a predominantly
rural constituency. It has 140 villages but only three
towns Adampur, Alwalpur and Bhogpur. The total
strength of the electorate is 1.32 lakh. Although
nestling in the shadow of Jalandhar city, which is the
heart of the pro-Congress Doaba region, Adampur has not
returned a Congress candidate to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha
during the past three decades.
The last time a
Congressman won from here was Chaudhary Darshan Singh in
1967. Since then, the electorate of the constituency has
been favouring the Akali Dal, the CPI and the BSP. On one
occasion, an Independent, Mr Harbhajan Singh, was
elected.
The seat has been
represented in the state assembly by Mr Kulwant Singh
(CPI), Mr Saroop Singh (Akali Dal-Badal) and Mr Rajinder
Kumar (BSP). Incidentally, Mr Rajinder Kumar is now in
the SAD and is actively campaigning against the BSP
candidate because he was denied the ticket by the BSP
supremo, Mr Kanshi Ram.
In the last assembly
elections, Mr Saroop Singh polled about 38,000 votes
winning the seat. Mr Kanwaljit Singh Lalli (Congress)
secured 25,000 votes and was placed second while the BSP
candidate, Mr Rajinder Kumar secured 17,000 votes.
The SAD is being supported
in the election by its coalition partner, the BJP and the
Bahujan Samaj Morcha led by Mr Satnam Singh Kainth, MP.
The Congress has the backing of the CPI and the CPM. The
general perception about the overall poll scene in
Adampur is that while the Dal (A) candidate will eat into
the votes of the SAD, the BSP candidate, who has a
Congress background, will undermine the prospects of the
Congress nominee.
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