From aam to khaas, cavalcades show AAP candidates have come a long way

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 17

The Lok Sabha polls had seen the AAP registering its presence in Punjab as a party of the common man. Back then, Jyoti Mann, a candidate for the Jalandhar parliamentary seat, was among the poorest candidates across all parties in the state.

But the scene has undergone a sea-change since then with the “not-so-aam” AAP candidates this year putting their ‘khaas’ profile on display through a massive show of strength as they went in to file their nominations today.

Some candidates were accompanied by NRI supporters from their constituencies.

Competing with the other parties in the show of strength, all AAP candidates were accompanied by a massive cavalcades of vehicles.

While the Kartarpur candidate, former safai karmchari union head Chandan Grewal got off a plush SUV, all three Jalandhar Urban constituency candidates and one from the rural seat – HS Walia, Dr Sanjeev Sharma, Gulshan Sharma and Chandan Grewal - also arrived with over a dozen vehicles trailing them.

From the Jalandhar Urban constituency, AAP candidate Darshan Bhagat will be filing his nomination tomorrow.

While Jalandhar North candidate, Dr Sanjeev Sharma, started from his residence at BSF Chowk, he charted his journey to the DAC Complex partly on foot, accompanied by hundreds of supporters, vehicles, MUVs and tempos bearing his signage and posters on them.

Cantonment candidate HS Walia and Kartarpur candidate Chandan Grewal were also accompanied by a huge cavalcade bearing posters and signages of over a dozen vehicles.

While HS Walia’s journey started with over 200 supporters from his office, the candidate who had formerly faced rebellion in Cantonment, first paid obeisance at the Model Town Gurdwara followed by prayers at the Geeta Mandir in Model Town.

While Cantonment AAP rebels, hockey Olympians Rajbir Kaur and Dr Jasvir Kaur Gill, have subsequently joined the SAD, hockey Olympian Jagdeep Singh Gill,formerly a rebel, accompanied Walia for thenominations.

Walia was accompanied by his wife as his covering candidate.

Kartarpur candidate Chandan Grewal, who resigned as a sanitary inspector earlier this year, for AAP candidature and is viewed as AAP’s prolific Dalit picks for Doaba as voice of safai karamcharis, also came in with over a dozen vehicles in tow with himself getting down from an SUV.

Grewal was accompanied by his wife Suman, his covering candidate.

In the periphery, AAP candidate Harjot Kaur, from Banga, also filed her nomination today.

While AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal backed her today, the party’s Phillaur candidatehad been backed by Bhagwant Mann who waspresent during the filing of her nominations.

While previously, party leader Sanjay Singhhad also registeredhis presence with Bholath MLA Sukhpal Khairaat a rally addressedby Singh and Khaira ahead of his nominations on Lohri. Sanjay Singh had also accompanied Sultanpur Lodhi candidate Sajjan Singh Cheema during his nominations.