Punjab Election: Prestige battle in Bathinda, Mansa
Sukhmeet Bhasin
Bathinda, March 9
The Assembly results are set to be declared tomorrow and candidates are feeling perplexed as multi-cornered contest and silent voters have made it a tight contest on prestigious seats in Bathinda and Mansa. The results will also decide the political future of many candidates in the fray in the region.
While Congress leaders are banking on CM Charanjit Singh Channi’s 111-days of work, the AAP is banking on its two poll faces Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann and ‘badlav’ narrative among people. Meanwhile, the SAD is banking on its regional connect and its development projects during their 10-year term and the BJP eyeing to increase its seats and vote share in the state and be the kingmaker if anyone doesn’t get the majority.
In Bathinda Urban, senior Congress leader and Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal is locked in a fiery battle against AAP’s Jagroop Singh Gill, SAD’s Sarup Chand Singla and BJP’s Raj Nambardar. All these candidates are confident of their win, whereas voters have still remained mum over their choice.
In Maur, SAD leader and former MP Jagmeet Singh Brar is in the fray against Congress’s Manoj Bala, BJP’s state general secretary Dyal Dass Sodhi, gangster-turned social activist Lakha Sidhana, who is contesting as an Independent, and AAP’s Sukhvir Singh Maiserkhana. In Rampura Phul, former SAD minister Sikander Singh Maluka is locked in a political battle with former Congress minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar and Punjabi singer Balkar Sidhu, who is contesting on an AAP ticket.
In Mansa, singer Sidhu Moosewala, who is contesting on a Congress ticket, is locked in a fiery political fight with AAP’s Dr Vijay Singla and SAD’s Prem Kumar Arora. In Talwandi Sabo, former AAP MLA Baljinder Kaur is facing contest from former SAD MLA Jeetmohinder Singh Sidhu, former Congress minister Harmander Singh Jassi, who is contesting as Independent, and Congress’s Khushbaz Singh Jattana.
Senior leaders whose prestige is at stake in Bathinda and Mansa are Manpreet Singh Badal, Jagmeet Singh Brar, Sikander Maluka, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Sidhu Moosewala, Baljinder Kaur, Jeetmohinder Singh Sidhu, Harmander Jassi and few others.
