Shiromani Akali Dal constituency heads to act as supervisors for bypoll

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Gidderbaha/Muktsar, Aug 12

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal has termed the Gidderbaha bypoll as a “matter of prestige” and appointed party’s constituency heads in the Malwa region as supervisors by giving them the responsibility of one-two villages each. He has asked them to provide him direct feedback on daily basis.

In 1995 also, when former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal (a SAD candidate then and now a BJP leader) won his first election, a byelection from Gidderbaha, the SAD under the leadership of former CM Parkash Singh Badal had contested it in a similar manner.

This time, the SAD has so far reposed faith in its constituency in-charge Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon, a leading transporter and close aide of Sukhbir, who unsuccessfully contested elections from here in 2017 and 2022.

Party’s national spokesperson Abhay Singh Dhillon, who is Dimpy’s nephew, said, “Sukhbir on Sunday held a meeting at his Badal village residence with party leaders, constituency heads and appointed them supervisors for the Gidderbaha bypoll. He told the gathering that he would give maximum time to Gidderbaha during the upcoming four byelections in the state and himself lead the campaign. He has termed this election a matter of prestige.”

The seat has fallen vacant after three-time Gidderbaha MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring got elected as MP from Ludhiana. Warring is occasionally touring the constituency to get feedback from his party workers. His wife, Amrita, however, is missing from political action for the past some time. She is one among those being seen as likely candidates of the Congress.

AAP has also increased its political activity here. Minister Aman Arora and MLA Dharamkot Devinderjeet Singh Laddi Dhos, who have been appointed AAP’s in-charge and co-incharge for the Gidderbaha byelection, have toured the constituency. The BJP, which has no local bigwig except Manpreet Badal, is yet to intensify its activities in Gidderbaha.