Akalis place trust in Iqbal Singh Jhundan from Bhagwant Mann’s home turf Sangrur

Sushil Goyal

Sangrur, April 14

Two-time former MLA, Iqbal Singh Jhundan (61), was nowhere a probable candidate of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for Sangrur Lok Sabha Constituency, after the return of Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa family to the SAD’s fold. But yesterday, he suddenly emerged as a prominent candidate in the SAD with the announcement of his name as a party candidate from Sangrur by the SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Jhundan started his political career as a sarpanch of his Jhundan village. He remained sarpanch for 10 years from 1993 to 2003. He started his professional career as an advocate by practicing under a senior advocate at Chandigarh. Later, he performed his duties as an advocate for a short period there.

Jhundan is a member of the core committee of the SAD, a powerful body of the party that takes all important decisions. He is also in-charge of Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency of the SAD. He had worked as Sangrur district president of the SAD from 2019 to 2023.

Jhundan unsuccessfully contested his first Assembly election in 2002 as a candidate of the Panthic Morcha on the ticket of SAD (M) from Dhuri. At that time, he was associated with Gurcharan Singh Tohra, a former president of the SGPC for more than two decades.

Jhundan won the Assembly election for the first time as an independent candidate from Dhuri Assembly constituency in 2007 by defeating Mai Roop Kaur Bagrian of the Congress by a margin of 3,179 votes. Later, he shifted to the SAD and succeeded in getting the SAD’s ticket for Amargarh Assembly constituency in 2012. He won from Amargarh by defeating Surjit Singh Dhiman, an independent candidate, by a margin of 4,426 votes.

However, in 2017 and 2022, Jhundan unsuccessfully contested Assembly elections from Amargarh Assembly constituency.