Amritsar: Independents making all-out efforts to popularise themselves

Neeraj Bagga

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Amritsar, February 2

Despite unimpressive success rate in the past, a large number of Independents have once again filed their nominations this time and are ready to give candidates belonging to traditional parties a tough fight.

Total 122 candidates are in the fray for 11 seats this time, of which 45 are those contesting as Independents.

Independent candidates seeking mandate from voters are making all-out efforts to popularise themselves among voters. In a high-decibel election battle, wherein the number of mainstream parties are growing, so are the number of Independents.

Last year, the Aam Aadmi Party was a new entrant and challenged the might of conventional parties — Congress and SAD. This time, after parting ways with SAD, its alliance partner BJP is contesting in alliance with Capt Amarinder’s Punjab Lok Congress party. Besides some small parties are also in the fray.

Independent candidates are relying largely on conventional mode of door-to-door campaign. A majority of them neither have funds not wherewithal to exercise different procedures of campaigning.

BK Sharma, one of the richest Independent candidates with a family wealth over Rs3.30 crore, is contesting for the eighth time.

He said he was directly approaching the electorate to vote in his favour.

“Big parties and their star candidates failed to understand the problems of common men. Accessibility always remains a big concern for voters. Whatever these leaders may promise, voters with ordinary backgrounds cannot easily meet a first generation leader even. What to talk about senior and star leaders?” Earlier, he had contested the Lok Sabha elections thrice and legislative assembly and MC elections, both two times.

Sham Lal Gandhi, who is seeking mandate from Amritsar West, observes that the voters need to take Independent candidates more seriously. They should not rest their hope on established candidates of big political parties, who behave no less than feudal lords after gaining power. He is contesting for the sixth time as he had first contested in the 2009 General Election. Subsequently, he appeared in the 2012 Assembly poll, Municipal Corporation elections in 2012 and then figured in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as well.