The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Mandate 2012: punjab
Youth brigade did it for Akalis, won 11 seats
Jangveer Singh/TNS

Chandigarh, March 9
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) secured the youth vote with 11 of its 13 candidates turning victorious at the hustings. In comparison, the Congress bagged only two of the six seats allotted to its youth members.

Six young Akali candidates won in the Majha belt - Youth SAD chief Bikram Majithia (Majitha), Inderbir Bolaria (Amritsar South), Amarpal Bonny (Ajnala), Manjit S Manna (Baba Bakala), Bajit S Jalalusma (Jandiala) and Harmeet Singh (Tarn Taran). In the Doaba belt, Pawan Kumar Teenu was victorious from Adampur. In Malwa,Virender Kaur Loomba (Shutrana), Harpreet Singh (Malout), Parminder Dhindsa (Sunam) and Manpreet Ayali (Dakha) emerged winners.

Remarkably, most of the Youth SAD candidates won their seats with respectable margins. Several downed Congress stalwarts: Jalalusma defeated former Excise Minister Sardool Singh, Ayali defeated Jassi Khangura and Bolaria defeated Jasbir Singh Dimpa.

The Congress was able to win only two of the six seats allotted to its Youth Congress members- Kuljit Nagra from Fatehgarh Sahib and Raja Waring from Gidderabaha.The party’s young candidates were defeated in Ferozepur Rural, Payal, Balachaur and Majitha.

There seems to be two factors behind the success of young SAD candidates. One, most of them were groomed by SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal during 2002-2007 when the SAD-BJP was in Opposition.

Second, Youth SAD president Bikram Majithia energised the youth wing holding district-level meetings and roadshows during the last one year. Majithia supervised the campaign of the youth wing leaders in Majha besides campaigning for those in Doaba and Malwa.

The Punjab Youth Congress could not be energised with its state president Vikramjit Chaudhary busy campaigning for his father Chaudhary Santokh in Phillaur.The Congress could not win this seat.

The SAD empowered its youth leaders with Parambans Romana appointed Improvement Trust Chairman in Faridkot, Kanwarjit Barkandi as District Cooperative Bank Chairman at Muktsar and Manpreet Ayali as Zila Parishad Chairman in Ludhiana. These appointments were a game changer for the SAD and ensured the youth vote did not shift to the PPP in a big way.

Game Changer: FACTORS BEHIND SUCCESS

Most of the young Akali candidates were groomed by SAD chief Sukhbir Badal during 2002-2007 when the SAD-BJP alliance was in the Opposition

Bikram Majithia energised the Akali youth wing holding district-level meetings and several roadshows in the past one year

SAD empowered its youth leaders with Parambans Romana appointed Improvement Trust chief in Faridkot, Kanwarjit Barkandi as District Coop Bank chief at Muktsar and Manpreet Ayali as Zila Parishad chief in Ludhiana. So the youth voted for the SAD.

Young Turks in assembly

SEEMA KUMARI (33) Bhoa

Chandigarh: From village sarpanch to the youngest woman legislator from Bhoa in Pathankot. This sums up the political journey of 33-year-old Seema Kumari of the BJP who has maid her maiden entry into the Punjab Legislative Assembly. She was 29 when she was elected sarpanch of Bharial Lahri village in Pathankot during the last panchayat elections. Her husband is a district BJP leader. She believes that one does not necessarily need to go to a school or a college. “I understand the needs and requirements of my electorate as I am a grassroots worker,” she says. She routed her nearest rival Balbir Ram of the Congress, by 12,129 votes, a testimony to her claim. She is sure to provide a new dimension to Dalit politics in state. “I am aware that my constituency lacks development. I need to start from the scratch. One just needs a strong will and consistency to see one’s efforts bear fruit,” she says. A mother of two, she says being a mother makes her sensitive to the needs of others.

IS BOLARIA (31), Amritsar South

Amritsar: Inderbir Singh Bolaria is the youngest legislator in the assembly. He already has his priorities outlined for the next five years. Bolaria, who was Chief Parliamentary Secretary in the previous government, says:

“It feels great to be re-elected. I feel blessed that I have got an opportunity to serve the people so early in life.” Regarding his success mantra, he says : “We didn’t merely talk about development, but worked on the ground to bring about a change in people’s lives. We ensured that every penny was properly utilised.”

He says he will finish pending works like removal of the Bhagtanwala garbage dump, setting up a solid waste management plant and having a sewerage system in the remaining parts of the constituency.

The young Bolaria intends to build a multi-utility sports stadium and come down heavily on drug peddlers. “Anybody found luring youth to drugs will not be spared.”

RAJWINDER (34), NIHALSINGHWALA

Moga: March 9 Riding on the legacy of her father-in-law, young Rajwinder Kaur defeated sitting MLA Ajit Singh Shant of the Cong by 572 votes. She is the second youngest candidate in the assembly.

Rajwinder is a new entrant in politics. Her father-in-law, the late Zora Singh, was a local Akali leader. He was elected to the assembly twice in 1985 and 2002 from this constituency. Rajwinder hails from Kairon village in Taran Taran. She did her plus two from Kairon High School. Her parents enjoyed cordial ties with the family of the late Chief Minister Partap Singh Kairon. After marriage, she joined the village ‘anganwari’ as a worker. Her husband Ajmer Singh is Panchayat Secretary. She has two daughters and a son.

RAJA WARRING, (33), GIDDERBAHA

Muktsar: Except for Amrinder Singh Warring “Raja” and a few Congress men, none would have thought that the Congress would emerge winner in the once Akali stronghold-Gidderbaha, defeating former Akali Finance Minister and now PPP chief Manpreet Singh Badal, who came third. An elated Raja Warring, who is close to AICC general secretary Rahul

Gandhi, says: “I belong to an ordinary family and none from my family has

ever contested the elections. I started my political journey after becoming

president of DCC and never looked back.”

Raja, who is a good orator, says Manpreet was once popular with the people but he failed on all fronts in the past five years. “He could not even solve the problem of water-logging in the area and the people realised it was time to vote for a new face.”

HARPREET Singh (33), MALOUT

Muktsar: This 33-year-old civil engineer, son of a former minister, started his political career in 2007, when he was elected MLA from Malout.

This time he defeated two former Congress MLAs -Nathu Ram and Baldev Singh Ballamgarh, a Congress rebel who contested as an Independent.

Harpreet Singh credits the late Bibi Surinder Kaur Badal, CM’s wife, for his success in politics.

“During campaigning, development was the lone agenda. The people understood it as they had seen Bibi ji’s keen interest in Malout. So, they voted in SAD’s favour. I will request Badal Sahib to allot more funds to this area so that I can fulfill Bibiji’s dream ,” says Harpreet.

He says the local people have two major demands - an under-bridge and a drainage line. “These two issues top my agenda. ”

— Contributed by Kanchan Vasdev, Perneet Singh, Kulwinder Sandhu, and Archit Watts

High expectations from SAD-BJP’s second term
The Tribune talks to a cross-section of people to find out what they want from the new government. This is what they had to say

Amarinder says he is here to stay
Dissent grows, senior leaders demand ‘chintan shivar’
Jangveer Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 9
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Capt Amarinder Singh today claimed he was here to stay, but party leaders wanted a “chintan shivar” to analyse reasons for the party’s debacle in the recently held Assembly elections.

However, two leaders of the Congress called the Holi celebrations at Kapurthala legislator Rana Gurjeet Singh’s house as “shameful” at a time when the entire state unit was in grief. Rana Gurjeet claimed the celebration had been planned in advance with Wadali brothers booked to perform at the event and so could not be cancelled.

After owning responsibility for the party’s fiasco and offered to resign, Amarinder today put up a brave front and said that he had not resigned. Maintaining that he would stay with the party workers, he said, “I cannot leave about 50,000 Congress workers who are facing vendetta cases at the hands of the current government”.

The PCC president, who left for New Delhi today, said that he would meet Sonia Gandhi in the next few days to brief her about the election outcome and factors that contributed to the party’s defeat. “I will strictly go according to the directions of the party president,” he added.

However, leaders want the defeat to be debated at the state-level. Former Pradesh Congress president Varinder Kataria in a statement today said Amarinder should call a meeting of the PCC to go into the causes of the “humiliating” defeat. He also said that the entire state leadership rather than Amarinder should brief the Congress president. He said that it was important, as Amarinder would only offer explanation of the defeat rather than “individual lapses”. Kataria said he would also appeal to the Congress president to call a “chintan shivar”.

In a separate statement, party leader Sukhpal Khaira called for summoning of an emergency meeting introspect on the debacle, adding such a meeting should be held under the aegis of senior party observers from Delhi. Khaira said the in-charge party affairs and independent observers should listen to all legislators, party candidates, district Congress presidents to find out the reasons for the defeat.

He said the PPCC president should also show magnanimity by explaining how the party had lost the Assembly elections second time in a row to the SAD-BJP under his command. Khaira also said that inaccessibility and a callous and lackadaisical approach of those at the top who were surrounded by non-political people, rendered the working machinery of the party frustrated and demoralised.

Khaira said adding insult to injury top Congress leaders celebrated ‘Holi’ yesterday at the house of Rana Gurjeet Singh here, who invited singers from Pakistan for this purpose. He said the celebrations took place when Congress workers were mourning, weeping and not even taking meals. He said in direct contrast, Akali leadership led by PS Badal offered prayers at Anandpur Sahib on the occasion. In another statement, victorious party candidate from Ferozepur Parminder Singh said it was a shame that a ‘Holi’ celebration was held in Rana Gurjeet’s house which was located in front of the residence of former chief minister HS Brar whose son and former Muktsar legislator Sunny Brar died recently. “Even illiterate people do not act so insensitively”, he added.

POLITICS

Jathedar Tota Singh emerges stronger
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Moga, March 9
Having taken a back seat in the past five years after losing the 2007 assembly elections, the triumphant senior Akali leader, Jathedar Tota Singh, has now emerged stronger within the ruling SAD.

He won from the essentially rural Dharamkot constituency against his nearest rival Sukhjit Singh Kaka by 4,255 votes. In 2007, the jathedar, who was sitting MLA then, had lost to Joginder Pal Jain of the Congress from Moga.

Attributing his win to the development works carried out in the area, he said: “I think none can match Parkash Singh Badal’s stature in state politics. He is an untiring crusader.”

The SAD won three of the four assembly seats in Moga district, reversing the 2007 trend. Jathedar’s son Barjinder Singh Brar, popularly known as Makhan Brar, who is president of the Moga Municipal Council, was eyeing the party ticket from Moga. Local people say had Brar been allotted the ticket instead of former DGP Gill, he would have won the Moga seat, given his popularity in the town.

Gill’s defeat has undoubtedly raised the Jathedar’s stature in the area with Maheshinder Singh and Bibi Rajwinder Kaur, elected for the first time from the Baghapurana and Nihalsinghwala constituencies, respectively, not having much say in the decision-making process.

Jathedar Tota Singh is senior vice-president and member of the central core committee, political affairs committee and disciplinary committee of the SAD.

PPP factor led to Gill’s defeat

Moga, March 9
Former DGP Paramdeep Singh Gill, who was handpicked by SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal to contest from the Moga assembly constituency, had to face defeat primarily because of the PPP factor.

Ravinder Dhaliwal, PPP candidate, secured 9,910 votes and Gill lost at the hands of sitting Congress MLA Joginder Pal Jain by a margin of 4,625 votes. Clearly, Gill’s poll strategists underestimated the PPP’s potential to play spoiler.

Also, the Congress managed to quell rebellion in the Moga constituency with Vijay Sathi retiring from the contest in favour of Jain a few days before the polls. This helped the Congress win this seat. — TNS

Pargat natural choice for sports portfolio
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 9
Pargat Singh, who has won the Jalandhar Cantt seat for the SAD, is the first- ever Olympian in the history of post-Partition Punjab to be elected to the assembly. He quit his job as Director of Sports to enter electoral politics.

Pargat Singh also has the distinction of leading India in two consecutive Olympic Games. After resigning as Director of Sports on January 10, he had only 18 days to campaign in his constituency where his rival was well- entrenched. But he took up the challenge and turned victorious.

His father-in-law Darbara Singh represented the SAD in Parliament. He was Governor of Rajasthan when he died.

At one time, Pargat Singh was in the race for the Congress ticket for the Jalandhar parliamentary seat. But he lost out to Rana Gurjit Singh.

Pargat Singh held the rank of Superintendent of Police before he was absorbed as Director of Sports a month before the announcement of the assembly elections in December last year.

Pargat Singh made his way into the inner circle of SAD chief and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal after he played a pivotal role in holding the two Kabaddi World Cups and in creating sports infrasture, including floodlit synthetic hockey fields.

Even if Pargat Singh had continued in the Police Department, he would have retired at best as Deputy Inspector-General of Police. That may be one reason why he left the police to join the Sports Department.

For a newcomer, a victory margin of 6,707 votes is an impressive one. Only a couple of months ago Pargat Singh had decided to make Chandigarh his permanent home.

In view of his popularity among the youth and sportspersons, he seems to be a natural choice for appointment as Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs.

The only other hockey Olympian to have achieved success in electoral politics has been Aslam Sher Khan who entered Parliament from Madhya Pradesh. Test cricket players like Chetan Chauhan, Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Mohammed Azharuddin have been elected to the Lok Sabha.