Sangrur seat won’t be cakewalk for any high-profile candidate

Sushil Goyal

Sangrur, May 27

In the last days of campaigning in Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency when the campaign has fully picked up, it does not seem to be a cakewalk for any of the high-profile candidates, including Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira (Congress), Cabinet Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer (AAP), sitting MP Simranjit Singh Mann (SAD-A) and former MLA Arvind Khanna (BJP). Besides them, former MLA Iqbal Singh Jhundan (SAD) and Dr Makhan Singh (BSP) are also in the fray.

However, the presence of high-profile candidates and the candidates of other two major political parties in Sangrur LS constituency has also turned the contest into a multi-cornered contest. In such a situation, no one has been predicting sure victory of any of the candidates as people feel that the victory margin of the winning candidate may be only in several thousands.

In this election, the AAP has been appealing to the electors to vote for it to save the Constitution and the country from the BJP and also seeking votes by claiming that it has fulfilled many promises, including 300 units of free power. The Congress party has also been attacking the BJP on the issues of unemployment and rising prices in the country.

The BJP has been seeking votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and development in the country. The SAD (A) has been advocating for the opening of the borders with Pakistan for generation of more employment avenues and trade opportunities. The SAD has been seeking votes by counting development works, done by it during its regime. The BSP has been seeking votes for uplifting of the Dalit communities and welfare of the Dalits.

The number of electors in Sangrur LS constituency is 15,56,601 (8,24,001 male, 7,32,554 female, and 46 third gender). However, there are 1,765 polling station locations in nine Assembly segments of the Sangrur LS constituency, comprising Sangrur, Sunam, Dhuri, Malerkotla, Lehra, Dirba, Barnala, Bhadaur and Mehal Kalan. The number of first time voters (18-19 years) in the entire constituency is 35,072.

It is recalled that in the June 2022 bypoll of Sangrur LS constituency, the victory margin was just 5,822 votes when Simranjit Singh Mann of the SAD (A) had defeated the AAP candidate Gurmail Singh by obtaining 2,53,154 votes and the AAP candidate had got 2,47,332 votes. The candidate of the Congress Dalvir Singh Goldy, the candidate of the BJP Kewal Singh Dhillon and the SAD candidate Kamaldeep Kaur Rajoana had finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

In the year 1999 elections, Simranjit Singh Mann of the SAD (A) won the Sangrur LS seat by defeating Surjit Singh Barnala of the SAD by a margin of 86,317 votes. In 2004, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa of the SAD defeated Congress’s Arvind Khanna by a margin of 27,277 votes. In 2009, Vijay Inder Singla of Congress won the seat by a margin of 40,872 votes by defeating Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa (SAD). In 2014, Bhagwant Mann of the AAP emerged victorious by defeating Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa (SAD) by a margin of 2,11,721 votes. In 2019, Bhagwant Mann (AAP) defeated Kewal Singh Dhillon (Congress) by a margin of 1,10,211 votes while Parminder Singh Dhindsa (SAD) finished third.