Batala: Amansher Singh Sherry Kalsi faces biggest battle of his nascent political career

Ravi Dhaliwal

Batala, April 16

AAP’s decision to nominate Batala MLA Amansher Singh Sherry Kalsi as its candidate for the Gurdaspur parliamentary seat was along expected lines once it became clear that the party had run out of “elactable options” from the outside.

Disinclined to contest

• Amansher Singh Sherry Kalsi is a first-time legislator.
• Despite his disinclination to contest, the party relied on several survey reports, all of which favoured him.
• Kalsi’s unwillingness stems from the fact that he was eyeing a ministerial berth.
• “If he wins the polls, he will have to step down from his Assembly seat. He does not want this to happen as he considers himself a ministerial contender. On the other hand, if he loses, he risks losing his reputation, and the money that he will be spending on the campaign. Notwithstanding the result of the parliamentary elections, he should not lose from his home seat of Batala at any cost. If this happens, he will have to rebuild his political innings from scratch,” an AAP leader said.

The mandate given by Delhi leaders to the local leadership was to scout for “fresh, electable faces.”

The search — which turned out to be a rather prolonged one — failed to yield desired results, forcing the party to opt for an in-house candidate instead.

It is pertinent to note that Kalsi is a first-time MLA.

Despite his disinclination to contest, the party relied on several survey reports, all of which favoured him.

His unwillingness stems from the fact that he was eyeing a ministerial berth.

“If he wins the poll, he will have to step down from his Assembly seat. He does not want this to happen as he considers himself a ministerial contender. On the other hand, if he loses, he risks losing his reputation, and the money that he will be spending on the campaign. Notwithstanding the result of the parliamentary elections, he should not lose from his home seat of Batala at any cost. If this happens, he will have to rebuild his political innings from scratch,” an AAP leader said.

In the weeks after he became an MLA, he appeared to have no control over his new-found power, perks and the position that came with it.

He would often flounder and commit gaffes, much to the delight of his detractors.

His orders to even traffic cops, let alone senior officers, were met with defiance.

However, as weeks rolled into months, he slowly started learning the tricks of the trade. So much so that now all transfers and postings relating to the Batala subdivision are done at his behest.

Administrators are quick to attend to his telephone calls, and his work gets done in double-quick time. A senior IAS officer said, “Kalsi has matured so much that, now, he is teaching others the art of politics.” The bureaucrat’s verdict meant he had well and truly arrived on the scene.

He now braces for the biggest battle of his nascent political career so far.

Political analysts claim that it would not be an easy task for Kalsi to wrest the seat from the BJP. He would be banking upon some divine intervention, luck and pluck if he has to emerge triumphant.