M A I N   N E W S

Big guns revive Congress hopes in Punjab
Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 22
The chips were down for the faction-ridden Punjab Congress some days ago, but the high command’s strategy to have its big guns lead from the front has enlivened the battle in the state.

By fielding its top leaders — former CM Capt Amarinder Singh, Ambika Soni, Partap Singh Bajwa and Congress-backed Manpreet Singh Badal — the party has sprung a surprise on its traditional rival, the SAD-BJP combine.

There are reports the Congress is seriously considering fielding another senior leader Sunil Jakhar from Ferozepur. “The party high command has not given me an indication so far, but if asked to contest, I am ready,” Jakhar said.

The most keenly-watched battle in the state will take place between Amarinder Singh and BJP-SAD candidate Arun Jaitley, considered second-in-command to Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. With Jaitley’s prestige at stake, the task of ensuring his win now lies on Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Deputy Chief Minster-son Sukhbir Singh Badal.

The Badals worked on Jaitley for weeks to get him to agree to contest from Amritsar to push out sitting MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, with whom they have been entangled in a political feud for months. With the Congress springing a surprise by fielding Amarinder, the battle in the holy city poses a big challenge. With Amarinder and Bajwa contesting from the adjoining Lok Sabha constituencies of Amritsar and Gurdaspur, respectively, it will become a political compulsion for their supporters to work for the success of both candidates, instead of working against each other.

Amarinder has a strong support base among Congress leaders from the Majha area and they had flocked to his residence after his name was announced in a show of support. These include Sukh Sarkaria, Om Parkash Soni, Raj Kumar Verka, Ramanjit Singh Sikki, Darbari Lal, Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Harpartap Ajnala and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.

“Our high command’s new strategy has come as a huge morale booster for the leadership as well as party workers. The state election battle has become a high-voltage one,” said senior leader Tripat Rajinder Bajwa. The SAD (Longowal-Barnala) decision to support the Congress has also come as a shot in the arm for the party.

SAD general secretary Harcharan Bains, however, mocked the Congress strategy. “The Congress has shown its desperation by dragging its top leaders into the poll arena. But that won’t change the poll outcome given the ground situation. The Congress’ reluctant fighters won’t prove great warriors.”

On the other hand, the CPI has announced active support for Congress-backed PPP president Manpreet Singh Badal, pitted against Badal ‘bahu’ and SAD-BJP candidate Harsimrat Kaur Badal in Bathinda. The Battle of the Badals will be among the most closely-watched in the country. Roping in Manpreet against Harsimrat is part of another shrewd Congress strategy. The CM and his deputy, the SAD’s star campaigners, will now be tied down to the constituencies of Amritsar and Bathinda.

Though the BJP is yet to announce its Gurdaspur candidate, Bajwa is likely to face either actor-turned-politician Vinod Khanna or Sarwan Salaria. Defeating three-time MP Khanna, Bajwa had won by a narrow margin from Gurdaspur last time. The Punjab Congress chief’s prestige is definitely at stake.

The poll battle took a turn for the interesting in Anandpur Sahib with the Congress fielding the high-profile Ambika Soni. The 72-year-old is pitted against SAD’s Prem Singh Chandumajra.