Tarn Taran: SAD, Congress slow off the block as AAP, BJP list their candidates

Gurbaxpuri

Tarn Taran, April 21

Campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections in Khadoor Sahib parliamentary constituency, predominantly a rural belt, is yet to gain momentum though the top two of the four political parties in the state have declared their candidates. It is the only Lok Sabha seat which is spread over all three regions of the state— Majha, Malwa and Doaba.

It is the ruling AAP that declared its candidate first from the constituency, in Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, followed by the BJP’s Manjit Singh Manna alias Mianwind. Manjit Singh Manna who switched over from the Akali Dal to BJP, is three-time SAD MLA. He represented Khadoor Sahib Vidhan Sabha seat twice, in 2002 and 2007, and won once from Baba Bakala, in 2012. The Congress party and the SAD are yet to declare their candidates.

The CPI is all set to declare Gurdial Singh Khadoor Sahib as its candidate from here while Harpal Singh Baler has been nominated as its candidate by SAD (Amritsar). Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and certain other political parties too are thinking seriously of fielding their candidates from here too.

From the point of view of campaigning for elections, it is the AAP which was at the top till date as its candidate Laljit Singh Bhullar was in the first list of party candidates and has covered all nine Vidhan Sabha constituencies by holding workers’ meetings. The party has seven of its nine MLAs falling under the jurisdiction of the parliamentary constituency. The remaining two Vidhan Sabha seats are Kapurthala and its neighbouring Sultanpur Lodhi. Rana Gurjit Singh is the Congress MLA from Kapurthala and it is his son Rana Inder Partap Singh who is an Independent MLA from Sultanpur Lodhi. The AAP also has more manpower to boost its election campaign.

The Congress and SAD are the major political parties which have neither declared their candidates from here nor have started their election campaign though these have sufficient party cadre at the grassroots level in the area. The Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency has 57 per cent of its population from a rural background and the remaining 43 per cent have an urban base.

BJP candidate Manjit Singh Manna whose candidature was declared just 10 days back is facing resentment by the agitating farmers. He could not come to pacify the farmers logically.

These days, campaigning for poll is yet to gain momentum from Khadoor Sahib parliamentary constituency.

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