Warrings get active ahead of Gidderbaha bypoll

Archit Watts

Gidderbaha/Muktsar, July 15

Just after the Jalandhar West bypoll, PCC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and his wife Amrita Warring have become active in the Gidderbaha Assembly constituency, which has fallen vacant after Warring got elected as an MP from Ludhiana.

Over the past few days, Amrita, who is being seen as the political heir of her husband in this constituency, has twice toured some villages here. Similarly, Raja Warring toured this constituency for the second consecutive day today and held meetings with his party workers.

Amrita, who runs NGO Aasra Foundation, used to look after this assembly segment in the absence of her husband in the past as well.

Talking to The Tribune, Raja Warring said, “Gidderbaha people have given me so much love and I can’t leave them. I am touring this constituency and getting feedback from the people for the bypoll. In the next few days, I will visit all villages and municipal wards of Gidderbaha.”

About the Congress ticket aspirants in Gidderbaha, particularly his wife, Raja Warring said, “Being the PCC president, I will not seek the ticket for any member of my family. The ticket is a prerogative of the party. My wife is working in the field and so are some other people. I had not even applied for Ludhiana, but the party fielded me there.”

Notably, in a five-cornered contest in the Faridkot parliamentary constituency this time, Independent Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, who emerged as winner, got maximum 32,423 votes polled in the Gidderbaha Assembly segment, followed by AAP candidate Karamjit Anmol (20,310 votes), Congress candidate Amarjit Kaur Sahoke (20,273 votes), SAD candidate Rajwinder Singh Dharamkot (19,791 votes) and BJP candidate Hans Raj Hans (14,850 votes).

On this, Raja Warring said, “Though the Congress remained on number three in this Assembly segment in the Lok Sabha elections in my absence, yet it performed well. People are already repenting for voting in favour of Khalsa due to some of his recent statements. I am sure if Bhagwant Singh known as Pradhan Mantri Bajeke or some other radical leader contests the Gidderbaha bypoll, he will not get a good response this time.”

Gidderbaha constituency incharge of the SAD Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon is also touring the constituency. He has already made it clear that SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal will not contest this byelection.

From AAP, there are a number of ticket aspirants, but the party may make a surprise pick, say some party insiders. The BJP may field Manpreet Singh Badal, who remained MLA for four times from here, but he is yet to increase his political activity.