Many old Doaba leaders out of race

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 15

In a turn of events in the run-up to the Assembly polls, it is now emerging that some old political horses of Doaba who have been contesting polls from their respective parties for over two decades will be out of race this time owing to one glitch or the other.

While former Congress minister Avtar Henry (70) cannot himself contest polls because his vote was deleted recently after an objection was filed in the office of the Returning Officer of Jalandhar (North), he had been pitching for his son.

Former SAD minister Bibi Jagir Kaur (62), too, is out because of technical reasons as she has so far not been able to get stay on her conviction from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Her candidature from Bholath had been replaced by her son-in-law Yuvraj Bhupinder Singh.

Ex-Congress minister Amarjit Samra (73) has voluntarily opted out of the poll fray because of health problems. He had earlier sought candidature from his seat Nakodar as well as Jalandhar Cantonment. Ex-SAD minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur (69), who moved to the Congress recently, has not got the ticket so far. His son Damanvir Phillaur has expressed his regret, “The party has failed to utilise my dad’s services, either from Phillaur or Kartarpur, and has itself spoiled its own prospects at other Doaba seats.”

Ex-MP Santosh Chowdhary (72) has also not got Congress ticket this time. Her ex-MLA husband Ram Lubhaya passed away recently, with family levelling allegations that he died because of shock at no ticket for his wife or daughter.

Henry has contested six elections since 1986 and had won thrice from Jalandhar (North). Jagir Kaur had fought four times consecutively from Bholath, losing just once in 2007. Samra has been lucky four times out of five, remaining in power from 1994 bypoll till 2012, when he lost. Santosh Chowdhary contested the Sham Chaurasi bypolls in 1998, but lost it. She has been luckier in general elections though. Her husband has been a candidate for the past three elections, winning his first contest only in 2002. Sarwan Singh Phillaur has had the longest innings in the Assembly. He had won polls for the first time in 1977 and has been in power six times in all, five times from Phillaur and the last time from Kartarpur.

While Henry and Phillaur have been pushing their son into politics, Bibi has had her son-in-law in fray. However, Samra has no political heir as he tells, “My sons are into business and have so far not expressed their desire to be in politics. I will support any candidate that the party fields.” He shares his journey, “I began as panch of my native village Samrai, earlier a part of Nakodar and now in Jalandhar Cantonment. I have been in block samiti, served as chairman of Markfed and then as director of Cooperative Bank. My first Vidhan Sabha election was the 1994 bypoll as the then MLA Umrao Singh got elected as MP. It was owing to delimitation last time that I suffered a loss. Overall, it has been a satisfying experience.”