Picking Gurdaspur candidate a tough call for AAP

Ravi Dhaliwal

Gurdaspur, April 10

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is faced with the difficult proposition of identifying its candidate from among several contenders for the Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency.

Sitting Batala MLA Sherry Kalsi has been sounded out by the powers-that-be. The legislator, on his part, is not happy. If he contests and wins, he will have to forgo his ministerial ambitions. On the other hand, if he loses, he will face a loss reputation besides money that he may have put into his campaign.

To complicate matters, in order to sustain his fledgling political career, it will become mandatory on his part to secure a lead, even if it means a slender one, from his home seat of Batala. If he is unable to notch up a lead, it will be a big setback for him, politically speaking.

The party is averse to naming Cabinet Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak because “a not-so-decent tag hangs with his reputation.” His Assembly seat is regarded as one of the most backward areas of Punjab where a social blunder committed is not easily forgotten.

The other aspirants are Pathankot-based eye-surgeon Dr KD Singh and Punjabi singer Jasbir Jassi, who hails from Gurdaspur district. His equation with Chief Minister Bhagwant Maan is well known but people close to him say he is disinclined towards entering politics. Raman Bahl, Chairman of the Punjab Health Systems Corporation, may well turn out to be the proverbial dark horse.

Averse to naming tainted minister lal chand kataruchak

• If MLA Sherry Kalsi contests and wins, he will have to forgo his ministerial ambitions. On the other hand, if he loses, he will face a loss reputation besides money that he may have put into his campaign
• The party is averse to naming Cabinet Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak because “a not-so-decent tag hangs with his reputation”
• Raman Bahl, Chairman of the Punjab Health Systems Corporation, can also be fielded from Gurdaspur constituency by the party
• The other aspirants are Pathankot-based eye-surgeon Dr KD Singh and Punjabi singer Jasbir Jassi, who hails from Gurdaspur district