Gurdaspur Diary: Kejriwal mesmerises Pathankot crowd

A heavy security was thrown around AAP national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and MP Bhagwant Maan when they arrived in Pathankot to take out a ‘Tiranga Yatra’ on Thursday. Party leaders from nearby assembly seats, too, had reached the town. Kejriwal and his entourage were perched atop a mini-truck surrounded by thousands of Tricolour waving workers, fans and fanatics. If the numbers seen on Thursday are any indication, it definitely is going to be a cakewalk for AAP candidate Vibhuti Sharma. But the fact remains that numbers do not really translate into votes. Somebody reminded AAP leaders that a few years ago, south Indian film mega star Chirnajeevi launched a political party called the Praja Rajyam Party. He had managed a 10 lakh strong crowd at the party’s launch in Pallakolu city. Subsequently, he contested two Lok Sabha seats, one of which Pallakolu. The other was Tirupati. He suffered a huge loss in Pallakolu although he managed to win Tirupati. Hence, AAP leaders must know that crowds do not translate into votes. Kejriwal had the crowd in peals of laughter when he delivered his speech, which was laced with rustic humour. The comedian in Bhagwant, too, surfaced sending the crowd into ruptures. Clearly, Vibhuti Sharma, who had done all the planning, was a satisfied man.

Tripat Bajwa leads from the front

As elections draw near, politicians start doing different things differently. This time Tripat Bajwa held a spade and dug a part of the street in Fatehgarh Churian, which was later recarpeted. Workers accompanying him were stunned when Bajwa asked one of them to hand over a spade to him. His aides made sure some press photographers were near to click Bajwa’s opening shot. The street has since been re-carpeted. All eyes are on Bajwa for his next move!

SAD leaders start election campaign

In many seats of Gurdaspur district, SAD leaders have started their campaigns. This is bound to hold them in good stead when it comes to the hustings. The BJP, AAP, BSP and the Congress have yet to announce their candidates. In Dera Baba Nanak, the SAD candidate Ravi Karan Kahlon, son of former Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon, reaches the first port of call before the sun rises. He covers 8-10 villages every day. He knows he has to work hard as he faces a formidable candidate in Dy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. Although the Congress has not made any official announcement, it is certain that Randhawa will contest from Dera Baba Nanak. The other Akali leaders who have started canvassing are Lakhbir Singh Lodhinanagal from Batala and Gurbachan Singh Babbehali from Gurdaspur.

— Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal