Reputation at stake, ex-Deputy CM goes all out to protect his bastion

Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has pulled out all the stops to ensure that his bastion does not fall into the hands of the Opposition. His wife Jatinder Kaur is the Congress candidate.

He has remained a four-time MLA, once from Fatehgarh Churian and thrice from Dera Baba Nanak.

Fielding his wife is a stop-gap arrangement as Randhawa is readying the pitch for his son, Udhayveer Singh, to enter electoral politics. The Randhawas have decided to field him in the 2027 Assembly poll when he would turn 25.

While Randhawa was the cabinet minister from 2017 to 2022, Jatinder Kaur was the de-facto MLA. She would often call up civil and police officials to make sure her husband’s constituency did not suffer.

Indubitably, the MP’s reputation is at stake. If his wife loses, it will be a big blot on his political career. He knows a defeat will not augur well for him in the long run. That is the reason why he is going all out to make certain his stronghold is not enervated or enfeebled in any way.

He is also seeking to fortify his seat keeping in mind his son will make his debut in the next elections.

Over the years, Randhawa has carefully cultivated all major vote banks of the area, including Jat Sikhs, Hindus, Mazbi Sikhs, Sansis, Mehras, Bazigars and the Prajapati voters who are followers of Bawa Lal Dyal, a 15th century saint and who is much revered in Gurdaspur district.

As his stature grew, Randhawa’s personal traits also underwent a change. Earlier, he would blow a fuse for no logical reason. However, his attitude took a 360 degree turn ever since he became the Deputy Chief Minister in September 2021. The earlier brashness was replaced with self-assurance and his decisions were based more on logic and rationale than on hearsay.

He often tells voters he brought in funds to the tune of Rs 172 crore in the wake of the construction of the Kartarpur corridor in 2018 for the development of Dera Baba Nanak township. “I established the Sugarcane Research Institute in Kalanaur. However, the AAP government showed no interest in running it and consequently it fell on bad times. I also established a degree college in Kalanaur. Three government hospitals were also upgraded during my tenure as Cabinet minister,” he says.