Brar, Mrar bury hatchet to take on Akalis, BJP

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, December 14

Former Congress MLA Karan Kaur Brar and her rival in this year’s Assembly elections, ex-MLA and SGPC member Sukhdarshan Singh Mrar, are campaigning together for Congress candidates in the Bariwala nagar panchayat elections.

The Congress has not fielded its candidate from the ward where Mrar’s pick Iqbal Singh is contesting as an Independent. During the recent election of vice-president of the Muktsar Municipal Council, Mrar had supported Congress councillor Yadwinder Singh ‘Yadu’, who was backed by Karan Kaur and had won.

In the Assembly elections, Karan Kaur — daughter-in-law of ex-CM Harcharan Singh Brar — had bagged 36,914 votes, ahead of Mrar (28,204), a SAD rebel, from the Muktsar seat. The winning candidate was SAD’s Kanwarjit Singh ‘Rozy Barkandi’ (44,894), while AAP’s Jagdeep Singh ‘Kaka Brar’ had got 33,201 votes.

When asked why he was supporting Congress candidates, Mrar said, “Our goal is to defeat SAD-BJP nominees.”

Karan Kaur’s son Karanbir Singh Brar, sarpanch of Sarainaga village, said, “Mrar is supporting our candidates and we are canvassing together.”

In 2007, Karan Kaur’s husband Kanwarjit Singh ‘Sunny Brar’, contesting on the Congress ticket, had defeated Mrar, who was then the SAD nominee. In 2002, Mrar, contesting as an Independent, had defeated Congress candidate Harcharan Singh Brar.

The AAP has not fielded any candidate in the 11 wards of Bariwala nagar panchayat.

Long-time rivals 

• Sukhdarshan Singh Mrar, contesting as an Independent, had defeated Congress candidate and ex-CM Harcharan Singh Brar in the 2002 Assembly polls
• Congress’ Kanwarjit Singh ‘Sunny Brar’, son of Harcharan Brar, defeated SAD candidate Mrar in 2007
• Congress nominee Karan Kaur Brar and SAD rebel Mrar lost the election from the Muktsar seat this year