Badals walk extra mile to ensure lead from home turf Lambi

Archit Watts

Lambi/Muktsar, May 28

The prestige of the Badals is once again at stake in the Lambi Assembly segment, a part of the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat here. Late SAD patriarch and former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had lost the 2022 Assembly poll from Lambi to AAP first-timer Gurmeet Singh Khuddian by 11,396 votes. Gurmeet is the son of former MP Jagdev Singh Khuddian.

Entire family on campaign trail

• The entire Badal family, including Harsimrat, Sukhbir, their children Harkirat Kaur Badal, Gurleen Kaur Badal and Anantveer Singh Badal, are presently campaigning in the Bathinda parliamentary constituency
• Harsimrat’s brother Bikram Singh Majithia has also toured the constituency thrice. A senior SAD leader said: “We are putting in all efforts to secure this seat for behan ji (Harsimrat). We are hopeful that the hard work pays for her”

In the 2024 LS poll, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal’s wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal is seeking a fourth term from Bathinda. The Badals have been campaigning aggressively in Lambi — which is also the home turf of the family — to ensure a lead for Harsimrat.

Every other day, one or the other Badal is touring the rural constituency with the aim to regain hold over it. Parkash Badal had represented this constituency in the Vidhan Sabha for five consecutive terms from 1997 to 2022.

The ruling AAP has pitted its Lambi MLA-cum-Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian against Harsimrat from Bathinda. In the past three elections, Lambi has always given a lead to Harsimrat. She got a lead of 34,895 votes in 2009; 34,219 votes in 2014 and 16,125 votes in 2019.

However, this is the first election when Parkash Badal is not around. Presently, the SAD has not appointed any constituency in-charge for Lambi, but after Sukhbir lost from the Jalalabad Assembly in 2022 and is presently not contesting from Ferozepur Lok Sabha, he is being seen as the late Badal’s successor in the Lambi Assembly constituency.

In their campaigning, the Badals are invoking the former CM’s name to get votes by listing the development works carried out by him. On Saturday, Harsimrat toured Lambi and covered 18 villages, while Sukhbir today visited some villages in the Badal home turf.

Earlier, their son Anantveer Singh Badal visited a few villages for two consecutive days. Besides, SAD’s cluster in-charges and close relatives have also been working on ground zero to ensure a lead for Harsimrat.

Addressing a public meeting in Lambi, Harsimrat recently said: “If SAD gets more votes from here, it will be a real tribute to ‘Bapu Badal’ (Parkash Singh Badal), who worked relentlessly to improve your lives. The soul of ‘Bapu Badal’ will also see your love.”

However, the electoral fight in Lambi does not look easy for anyone, as Khuddian, his sons Sumeet and Ameet, and nephew Randhir Singh Dhira have also been campaigning aggressively here.

The Congress has also managed to take its both factions, led by Jagpal Singh Abul Khurana and Fateh Badal, along in this constituency in favour of party candidate Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu. Jagpal is the son of former minister Gurnam Singh Abulkhurana. He had contested the 2022 election from Lambi, but could get just 10,136 votes.

Fateh is son of Maheshinder Singh Badal. Mahesh, an estranged cousin of Parkash Badal, has contested three Assembly elections (2002, 2007 and 2012) unsuccessfully from here, but still holds sway in the constituency. Mahesh himself is not campaigning, but his son is active on the ground.

Jagpal Singh Abulkhurana said: “Mahesh ji’s family had verbally supported me in the 2022 election, but failed to convert it into votes. However, this time, we are sure to get a lead from Lambi.”

The BJP, meanwhile, is finding it hard in getting established here, especially in the absence of former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who is campaigning in Ferozepur, Faridkot, Patiala and Amritsar Lok Sabha constituencies, but has not made a single public appearance in Bathinda.

Parampal Kaur Sidhu, daughter-in-law of senior SAD leader Sikander Singh Maluka, is the saffron party’s nominee from Bathinda. Rakesh Dhingra, the BJP candidate from Lambi for the 2022 Assembly poll, had got just 1,116 votes.