Hoshiarpur: Rivals play Agniveer card in BJP’s bastion

Rajmeet Singh

Hoshiarpur, May 17

As the BJP aims to regain the Hoshiarpur segment, the anti-Agniveer sentiment is echoing here as a sizeable Rajput population here has been contributing to Army recruitments. The Mukerian, Dasuya, Tanda, Sham Churasi and Chabbewal Assembly segments in the Lok Sabha seat have been contributing to Army recruitments.

Major issues

• Already facing the issue of unemployment, the segment, flagged for being the most literate district with the highest sex ratio, has failed to get major development projects
• The constituency still carries the tag of being backward despite having sent high-profile leaders to Parliament in 17 General Election held since 1952

Raj Kumar Chabbewal (AAP)

Two-time Congress MLA from Chabbewal and former deputy Leader of the Opposition, Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal, an MD (radio-diagnosis) surprised his colleagues when he switched over to AAP. Chabbewal stood out in the protests against AAP during the recently held Budget session with his eye-catching acts and even carried a bale on his head one day to draw attention to the state’s mounting debt burden.

Yamini Gomar (Congress)

She left AAP to join the Congress in 2016 ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections. Identified as being “a common woman”, the Congress is relying on her humble background to win. The party is building a narrative that she has been nominated to teach traitor (Dr Chabbewal) a lesson. As AAP candidate from Hoshiarpur, Gomar had polled 2.13 lakh votes and stood third in the 2014 LS elections.

Sohan Singh Thandal (SAD)

A four-time MLA and former Minister of Jails and Tourism, Sohan Singh Thandal is a member of the core committee of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). An old ‘Taksali’ leader, Thandal became an MLA from Mahilpur and then from Chabbewal and had also been a Chief Parliamentary Secretary in Akali governments. After the break-up of the SAD-BJP alliance, it will be an uphill task for Thandal.

Anita Som Parkash (BJP)

She is the wife of sitting MP Som Parkash. The factionalism prevailing in the BJP can create difficulties for her. It may be a difficult task for Anita to bring different factions of the BJP on one platform. Also, it will be tough to make up for the loss of SAD votes as there is no alliance with SAD this time unlike the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

AAP and Congress are trying to use the “anti-Agniveer” sentiment among the Hindu Dogra population, giving a serious challenge to the saffron party. The INDIA bloc has announced to end the Agniveer scheme if voted to power. Already facing the issue of unemployment, the Lok Sabha seat flagged for being the most literate district and the highest sex ratio has failed to get major development projects. It still carries the tag of backwardness despite having sent high-profile leaders to Parliament in 17 General Election held since 1952.

The constituency has sent stalwarts such as Giani Zail Singh, Darbara Singh and Kanshi Ram to Parliament.

Indicating the apathy of successive Union Governments and local MPs, a medical college and a central university still eludes the area. The kandi belt stretching across Dasuya, Mukerian, Sham Churasi and Tanda Assembly segments lacks irrigation facilities.

Barring the 1977 election, the Congress won all elections held here between 1951 and 1996. The BSP wrested this seat in 1996 with SAD support and BJP twice — in 1998 and 2004. Hoshiarpur parliamentary constituency, comprising areas from Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur and Kapurthala districts and encompassing nine Assembly seats, was declared reserved in the delimitation exercise in 2009. Since then, the Congress has won in 2009 and BJP twice — in 2014 and 2019. AAP vote share increased to 33.9 per cent with five MLAs compared to three Congress MLAs and one BJP MLA in the 2022 Assembly elections.

As the election campaign is yet to gain momentum, the core issues on the mind of voters include the backward regions grant programme by the UPA government in its second term, lack of job opportunities and the yet-to-be-operational Kandi Canal or the Mukerian hydel project as the constituency still grapples with infrastructural and developmental shortcomings.

It will be an interesting contest here as those in the fray include two turncoats — Congress candidate Yamini Gomar, who left AAP to join Congress in 2016, and AAP candidate Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal, who left the Congress to join AAP recently. SAD is relying on its old warhorse Sohan Singh Thandal and BJP is betting on Anita Som Parkash, wife of sitting MP Som Parkash. The BSP had to announce a new candidate, Ranjit Kumar, after the previous candidate Rakesh Soman joined AAP at the last minute.