Punjab election 2022: Gurdaspur district may spring a surprise

Ravi Dhaliwal

Gurdaspur, March 9

After weeks of agonising wait, the political class will finally get to know today what destiny has to offer in an election all set for a photo-finish.

By the time the last votes have been counted, there will be some leaders whose reputation may well be in tatters, while there will be others who will be politically redeemed. And, then, there will be some who may turn out to be the surprise packages.

In the fray from Gurdapur parliamentary constituency, which comprises nine seats, are Cabinet ministers Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Aruna Chaudhury and RS MP Partap Singh Bajwa.

For the BJP, the portents were ominous from the very start. The farm laws, despite their withdrawal, had comprehensively dented the party’s prospects. To complicate matters, MP Sunny Deol showed absolutely no inclination to campaign for his party, leaving many surprised.

In Sujanpur, from where BJP’s Dinesh Babbu is seeking a fourth successive term, Naresh Puri of the Congress and Amit Manto of AAP are giving him a torrid time. When campaigning started, it was seen as a two way tie between Babbu and Puri but Manto managed his campaign in a professional manner and clawed his way back into contention.

The Pathankot seat is witnessing a fierce contest among sitting Congress MLA Amit Vij, Punjab BJP Chief Ashwani Sharma and Vibhuti Sharma whose differences with Vij had forced him to join AAP. When he had left his parent party, the Congress had termed it

as ‘good-riddance.’ However, with support from the AAP big wigs, Vibhuti has now become a thorn in the flesh of his rivals.

Die-hard observers, who have correctly predicted results in the last four polls, are refusing to forecast the results this time in Dera Baba Nanak from where Deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa is contesting.

Batala remains a conundrum. Ashwani Sekhri of the Congress is looking to a fourth win while AAP’s Sherry Kalsi is threatening to play spoilsport. Old warhorse Sucha Singh Chhotepur is seeking to ride on the strong SAD cadre present in rural areas. Experts acknowledge that the only seat where the Congress seems to be in a comfortable position is Qadian from where Partap Bajwa is contesting.

In the 2017 elections, AAP had failed to bag even a single seat. However, this time it has surely turned the heat on its rivals and by the end of the day it may very well turn out to be the surprise package.