SAD-BJP alliance banks on fresh faces

Manish Sirhindi

Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 20

With new faces promoted to contest the Assembly polls, the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party ((SAD-BJP) alliance is trying to turn the tables in its favour at five out of eight constituencies in Patiala.

Sources within the alliance partners said the party leaderships were ideating that this might help the alliance tide over the strong anti-incumbency factor that might dent the winning prospects of the two parties in the run for the 2017 elections. They said the new faces did not come with any 'political baggage' that of accusations of scams and wrong-doings and this helped in promoting candidates' acceptability amongst the electorate.

The SAD has brought in former Army Chief General JJ Singh to contest from Patiala I, which is dominated by the Congress as PPCC Chief Capt Amarinder Singh contests from here. In last bypoll in 2014, SAD's BD Gupta lost badly to Preneet Kaur, wife of Capt Amarinder.

The BJP has fielded its senior vice-president Harjit Singh Grewal from Rajpura. In the last elections, the BJP bet on Raj Khurana, who had also lost to the Congress. Grewal got the ticket as party wanted a Jat Sikh leader to contest as constituency is now dominated by this community.

At Sanour, first-timer HS Chandumajra got the SAD ticket. During the last elections, SAD's Tejinderpal Singh Sandhu had lost to PPCC senior vice-president Lal Singh. Chandumajra, a young face, was introduced to draw young voters to the party.

From Patiala II, one-time Akali rebel Satbir Singh Khatar has got a SAD ticket. He replaced Kuldeep Kaur Tohra, wife of former Akali minister Harmil Singh Tohra, who could not win this seat. 

The party has also brought in Kabir Das, a former senior deputy mayor of the Patiala Municipal Corporation, who was earlier a staunch Congress man, to contest from Nabha. This seat was contested by Balwant Singh Shahpur, a former Akali MLA from Amloh. He lost the last elections to Congress candidate Sadhu Singh Dharamsot.

The party, however, continues to bet on cabinet minister Surjit Singh Rakhra from Samana, incumbent MLAs Vaninder Kaur Loomba from Shutrana and Harpreet Kaur Mukhmailpur from Ghanour.