As ‘Bai ji’, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann battles it out in Jalandhar West

Deepkamal Kaur & Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar/Chandigarh, July 5

“I am here by choice. And the choice is to serve you. I am not like leaders of the previous governments, where they revelled in being called Kaka ji or Raja sahib… here you just reach out to me, hold me by my sleeve and feel connected with me by calling me your ‘Bai ji’,” says Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party state president Bhagwant Mann in his public meetings in different wards of Jalandhar West, as he campaigns intensively for party candidate Mahinder Bhagat for the July 10 bypoll.

The hot and humid weather the last few weeks has certainly taken its toll on politicians across the spectrum. But the Chief Minister, who has literally shifted to Jalandhar from Chandigarh to spearhead this key political battle in the wake of AAP losses in the Lok Sabha election, is keenly aware that this is a crucial election, where the stakes are high. So in his trademark yellow turban and white kurta-pyjama, he sets out every morning to showcase the government’s schemes to voters across the socio-economic spectrum — 300 units of free power for inflation-hit consumers; jobs for young people in the government sector; a continuation of free bus rides for women across the state. And then comes the rapier cut — his response to AAP deserter-turned-BJP candidate Sheetal Angural’s accusation of “extortion” is that Angural left AAP because he was not willing to abide by the party’ anti-corruption ideology.

Welcome to Bhagwant Mann’s Jalandhar, where the CM’s day starts at 10 am. People have already begun assembling in the air-conditioned German tents set up in the lawn of his newly rented accommodation — mostly people from Jalandhar West constituency, who have managed to reach here after crossing six layers of security. While the CM is busy strategising his party’s campaign with his core team of OSDs and pollsters, these people, accompanied by area councillors are first attended to by the CM’s wife, Dr Gurpreet Kaur, or one of his OSDs. Only the more significant lot gets a chance to go across to the last cabin to see the CM and get a picture clicked with him.

This done, Mann spends early afternoon meeting groups of prominent citizens in a city hotel, while his security keeps track of the movement of various unions of employees, who seem to follow him relentlessly to push for acceptance of their demands. He then rushes to the constituency to hold his public meetings. Here, his political satire targeting his opponents, his stage presence and his listing of AAP government achievements seem to hold the audience — around 400 in any gathering — in sway. “The others have to pay to get an audience, here you come to meet me on your own. I am truly blessed to get such love. I must have done something good in my past life to get your affection and win your confidence. I assure you that even after the election, I will be staying here — my new adopted home — for two to three days a week. Sarkar ithon chalugi,” he says, as crowds cheer. Meanwhile, the AAP candidate, Mahinder Bhagat, stands in the CM’s shadow.

Amidst one of the most intensely fought byelections ever in recent history of Punjab, the ruling AAP has strategically refused to be drawn into any debate on the allegations levelled against its top leaders by AAP deserter and BJP candidate Angural, and continues to campaign only on its performance since it came to power.

Unperturbed by “The Sheetal Angural show” yesterday, which ended in an anticlimax, the party leaders, including CM Mann, talk about their own rise from “aam aadmi” families and how the AAP ideology has helped build leaders from the common families. Both yesterday and today, Mann only talked about his development agenda, refusing to react to the allegations.

It’s not just Mann, but his wife Gurpreet Kaur, MPs Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and Malvinder Singh Kang, ministers Harpal Cheema, Aman Arora, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Chetan Singh Jouramajra, Laljit Singh Bhullar and Lal Chand Kataruchak, who are going door to door, campaigning for the party candidate. Most of the young party MLAs — Amansher Singh Sherry Kalsi, Devinder Singh Laddi Dhos, Dinesh Chadha, Gurinder Singh Garry Warring — have also remained stationed here for days now, trying to consolidate young voters for their party. To keep his party leaders going, CM Mann has kept the carrot of chairmanship of various state government boards and corporations dangling in front of them. A list of vacancies of these political postings is being prepared. He has publically started saying that he will offer these postings to those who work hard for the party.

“Each one of us, and our team of volunteers, has been given a specified area and we are reaching out to all voters here. Let the opposition leaders spread venom, we are here to spread only our message of development, while urging people to strengthen us by rejecting a turncoat,” said a senior minister.

Never in the recent history has a byelection for an Assembly seat drawn so much of public and political interest. This may be because rarely has there been an incident of a ruling party MLA switching sides, when there were still three years to go for the next Assembly elections. Also, the top leadership in three political parties — AAP, Congress and BJP (SAD has hilariously withdrawn its support to its candidate, after the party signed on the nomination papers) — have made this election a matter of prestige.

While the Congress and BJP are buoyant after their increased vote shares in the recent Lok Sabha poll, AAP leadership is giving its all to win this election, with many in the party seeing it as a redemption from the electoral loss in the Lok Sabha poll. That is why the party and its leaders from across the state are unitedly going all guns blazing to win back the seat.