Minister Balkar Singh stays away from Jalandhar (West) byelection campaigning

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 30

Mired in controversy surrounding alleged sleaze video that had gone viral nearly a month ago, AAP government’s lone Dalit minister from Doaba Balkar Singh has been missing from the Jalandhar (West) election scene. The bypoll to the reserved Assembly seat is slated for July 10.

While his Cabinet colleagues Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, Aman Arora, Dr Baljit Kaur, Laljit Bhullar, Bram Shanker Jimpa, Harjot Bains, Kuldeep Dhaliwal and Lal Chand Kataruchak have been making rounds of the city, the Jalandhar-based Local Bodies Minister is yet to campaign here. Dr Baljit Kaur is learnt to have been asked to stay put till the end of the campaign.

Balkar had even skipped a state-level protest organised by the party here on Saturday against Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest. The byelection is taking place in an urban seat where the minister’s role remains crucial, but the party seems to have chosen to keep him away. While civic works are being carried out in the area at a brisk pace owing to CM Bhagwant Mann’s presence here, most of these are being managed by other leaders, including Pawan Tinu. Even Director (Media Relations) Baltej Pannu has been making rounds of the MC office to augment works.

Balkar, however, hasn’t been entirely out of public sight lately. Last Friday, he was seen accompanying the CM to Dera Sach Khand Ballan. The dera falls in the Kartarpur Assembly segment, which he represents. Last week, he was seen at a protest organised by AAP in front of the District Administrative Complex over the NEET exam row.

Kartarpur Congress halqa in-charge Rajinder Singh claims: “Balkar seems to have been deliberately sidelined by AAP as it apprehends his presence may have a negative impact on voters.”

The minister’s purported video had surfaced ahead of the Lok Sabha elections on June 1. The party had trailed from his Kartarpur segment by 16,000 votes. Balkar could not be reached for comment.

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