The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Who will be Congress’ pick for Gurdaspur seat? Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, December 27 With the SAD officially announcing sitting MLA Gurbachan Singh Babbehali as the candidate from the Gurdaspur seat, all eyes are now on the Congress. All the 19 aspirants are doing their best in an attempt to get the party nomination. The front runners are PS Bhinder, former Delhi Police Commissioner and husband of former Union Minister late Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder; Raman Bahl, seen as the Hindu face of the Congress in this assembly seat, and Gurmeet Pahra, who is a Jat Sikh and is believed to posses the capability to cut into the vote bank of Babbehali. Gurmeet Pahra, whose father Kartar Singh Pahra remained a MLA from 1997 till 2002, has been working in the constituency for the last several years. He is seen as a candidate who can bank on a section of the BJP. Political observers are of the opinion that the Pahra family has immense popularity in the area. In 1997 elections Kartar Singh Pahra, then in the SAD, convincingly defeated his Congress rival Kushal Bahl by 17,000 votes. The other contenders are former Additional Advocate General of Punjab, Sudhir Walia, and a senior Supreme Court lawyer, Ajay Verma. PS Bhinder, former Chairman of the Punjab State Agriculture Development Bank, is also an aspirant. Gurdaspur Member Parliament Partap Singh Bajwa also has a good chance. The observers feel it will be interesting to see whom the MP backs when it comes to the crunch. Highly placed sources said the MP backs Pahra and this factor may carry the day for him. Sources said Gurmeet Pahra’s son Barinder Pahra, who was recently elected as President of the Youth Congress, Gurdaspur, is holding secret parleys with the BJP leaders and a section of the People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) is also said to be backing his father.
	Ex-MP Rana Gurjit Singh likely be Cong candidate from Kapurthala Dharmendra Joshi Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 27 Former minister Raghbir Singh (PPP) and the sitting Akali MLA from Adampur, Sarabjit Singh Makkar, will face each other in Kapurthala Assembly constituency. Both Raghbir and Makkar announced as candidates of their respective political parties in their first list of contestants released by SAD and PPP a few days ago. While the Congress has not yet finalised its candidate from this seat, the former Jalandhar and Kapurthala MP Rana Gurjit Singh may be announced as its candidate this time. Raghbir Singh, a former veteran Akali leader, joined the PPP in July this year as Akali leadership had already given green signal to Makkar from this seat as Adampur seat was reserved for SCs. Raghbir Singh had contested elections form Kapurthala Assembly segment on the SAD ticket since 1980. Starting his political career as panch, he won twice out of the five Assembly polls he contested in 1980, 1997, 2002, 2004 and 2007. Having lost the last three elections, he was defeated with a margin of 6,000 votes in 2007. Similarly, Makkar (44,883 votes) defeated the Congress candidate Kanwaljit Singh Lally with a margin of 10,204 votes in Adampur in 2007. However Makkar (25,243) was defeated by Lally (32,619) by 7,376 votes from the same seat in 2002. Meanwhile, having lost last parliamentary elections from Khadur Sahib in 2009, the Congress leader Rana Gurjit Singh is keen in contesting from Kapurthala Assembly seat this time. Actually Kapurthala seat has voted for the Congress in four out of five Assembly elections (including 2004 by-election) held since 1992. The SAD could win only in 1997 in the last two decades. The Congress leader Rana Gurjit Singh’s family has won the last three elections from this seat by defeating the SAD candidate Raghbir Singh in 2002, 2004 (by-election) and 2007. In 1992, the Congress candidate Gulzar Singh won this seat by just getting 10710 votes while in 1997 Raghbir Singh of SAD defeated him with a margin of about 12000 votes. Congress’ Rana Gurjit Singh won this seat by over 10,000 votes in 2002. Rana’s sister in law Sukhjit Kaur won 2004 by-election necessitated as Rana had left this seat to contest parliamentary election from Jalandhar. Rana’s wife Rajbans Kaur defeated Raghbir Singh by over 6,000 votes in 2007. This seat has a total of 11,4328 electors as on January one, out of which 58,650 are ales and 55,678 are females. After delimitation, this seat consists of Kanugo Circles (KCs) Kapurthala, Baler Khanpur, Patwar Circules (PCs) Nawan Pind, Ghug, Khukhrain, Saidowal of Khalu KC, PCs Thigli, Nidhoki, Sidhwan Dona, Kaso Chahhal, Bhano Langa of Hussainpur KC and Kapurthala Municipal Council (MC) of Kapurthala Tehsil.
	21-year-old dies in road accident Our Correspondent Phagwara, December 27 Pall of gloom descended upon a Phagwara family when they lost their member in an accident last night. Jatin Chadha (21), belonging to renowned Chadha family, died in a major accident on Monday. Sources said, Jatin was killed on the spot when his Mercedes car dashed against a tree near Bisla village on Phagwara-Banga road. The car was badly damaged in the accident. The deceased was returning home from Chandigarh after attending a function. He last spoke to his mother over the phone and told her he was fifteen minutes away from home. The police said, the deceased lost control over the vehicle near a turn while trying to escape a collision with another vehicle. The body was handed over to the family after conducting postmortem in the Banga Hospital. Prominent citizens, including representatives of political, social and religious organisation attended the funeral held today.
	Phillaur, Phagwara witness spurt in theft cases Our Correspondent Phagwara/Phillaur, December 27 As many as nine cases of robberies, thefts and snatchings were reported in Phagwara and Phillaur on Sunday, including seven in Phillaur and two in Phagwara. In the first incident, three unidentified armed robbers attacked Sham Lal in Phillaur on Sunday. The assailants snatched cash worth Rs 19,000 from the victim and sped away on a motorcycle. Sham Lal was admitted to the local Civil Hospital. A Pulsar motorcycle of Sudesh Kumar, a trader, was reportedly stolen from his house in nearby Uppal-Khalsa village in Phillaur On Sunday. In the third incident, a tailor shop was burgled at Raipur-Arian village here. The burglars decamped with valuable goods, including an inverter, a TV set, and Rs 5,000 cash. Different cases were registered against the miscreants in local police stations. Valuable goods worth Rs 1.5 lakh, including 36 mobiles, a camera, gas cylinder, were stolen from a mobile shop on Phillaur-Noormahal road. The shop belongs to Sukhjit Singh. Three cases were registered for three different incidents. A diary shop of Jaskaran Singh in Sangatpur village and two barbershops of Lakhbir Singh and Rakesh Kumar in Phillaur were reportedly burgled on Sunday. The thieves took away valuable goods worth thousands of rupees including desi ghee, a DVD, an electronic shaving machine, a TV set from the shops, police said. In Phagwara too a diary shop was burgled. The miscreants took away 25 kg of desi ghee and two LPG cylinders, police said. A mobile shop of Tejinder Singh was burgled in Phagwara where miscreants decamped with several mobile phones and Rs 1,500 cash. Goraya police however succeeded to nab a proclaimed offender identified as Balbir Singh of Chack Des Raj village on Sunday.
	Man attempts to kill wife Our Correspondent Phagwara, December 27 Parwinder Singh of Rurrka-Khurad village attacked his wife, Sandeep Kaur, with sharp-edged weapons today. The incident took place when Sandeep was waiting for bus near Lovely Professional University, Chiherru, on national highways. SHO Ramandeep Singh while confirming the incident said the victim was admitted to the local Civil Hospital. The victim was residing with her parents in Chiherru village for two years due to domestic dispute. The husband managed to escape after attacking his wife, said SHO. Police has registered a case under Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) of the IPC.
	Religious, social groups lend support to Hazare Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, December 27 To back the 3-day hunger strike of Anna Hazare in support of a strong Jan Lokpal bill, activists of various religious and social organisations under the banner of ‘India Against Corruption’, Hoshiarpur, staged a day-long dharna at local Shastri market today. Addressing the rally, Navin Jairath and Dr Raman Ghai appealed to the people of all groups to extend their cooperation in this regard. They said India Against Corruption along with other NGOs would stage protest march against the UPA government in main bazaars of the city on December 28. They would also burn effigy of the Central government at local Clock Tower on December 29.