Dera Sacha Sauda opens cards, to back SAD, BJP nominees

Kulwinder Sandhu

Moga, February 19

A day before polling, politically influential Dera Sacha Sauda has decided to extend support to SAD and BJP candidates, barring a few seats where prominent personalities of other parties are contesting the elections.

At places where the SAD and BJP candidates are facing one another, the dera will support the strong candidate having a clean image. The winning ability of the candidate has also been taken into account.

A senior member of dera’s political affairs committee told The Tribune messages in this regard had been conveyed through phone and WhatsApp to district committees, which had further started conveying it to the followers at the ground level. The dera activists have started meeting candidates in their respective areas.

The dera has maintained that support would not be extended to those candidates who do not adhered to their policies and programmes. “We have discussed the nature of parties and individual candidates before deciding on extending support,” said the functionary.

The dera has over 40 lakh followers or “Premis” in Punjab with a huge socio-political influence in the Malwa belt, which has 69 seats out of the total 117, and holds key to the formation of government.

There are more than 10,000 votes of ‘Premis’ in the Nihalsinghwala (reserved), 15,000 in Baghapurana, 12,000 in Moga and 8,000 in Dharamkot constituencies of Moga district.

It has extended support to BJP candidate Dr Harjot Kamal in Moga, Akali stalwart Tota Singh in Dharamkot; besides BJP candidates in Ferozepur Urban, Fazilka, Abohar, Balluana and a few other constituencies in the Malwa belt.