Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa keeps everyone guessing

Ravi Dhaliwal

Batala, January 30

Suspense reign supreme in the Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa camp, even as his followers keenly await his next move. He was checkmated when his candidature was announced from Fatehgarh Churian despite his “extreme eagerness” to contest from Batala from where his bete-noire Ashwani Sekhri has been fielded by the Congress.

With barely 48 hours to go before the nominations close, the grandmaster of Batala politics, Tript Bajwa, is now on the verge of losing the endgame. “I will file my papers from Fatehgarh Churian tomorrow,” he said. This should have put to rest any speculation, but for his acolytes’ repeated claims that nothing has been finalised yet. The party has told him “no allowance can be made at this stage.” But he is still hoping the party will replace Sekhri.

Batala Mayor Sukhdeep Singh Teja and nearly a dozen councillors want the minister to fight from the city. Every day, several “strategically important meetings” are held at the minister’s Qadian house.

May field son against Sekhri

Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa may make his son, Ravi Nandan Bajwa, contest as an Independent from Batala. At one time, Tript’s followers wanted him to contest as an Independent from there