3 from Gurdaspur in race for Cabinet berth

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, March 12

Three MLAs of Gurdaspur are in the reckoning for a Cabinet berth. Of the total seven seats in this border district, the Congress has won six, the lone loser being Ashwani Sekhri from Batala.

Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who retained the Fatehgarh Churian and Dera Baba Nanak seats, served as a minister and a CPS, respectively, in the Capt Amarinder Singh-led government from 2002-2007. 

The third legislator expected to make the cut is Dinanagar (reserved) MLA Aruna Chaudhury, who won by a massive 32,000 votes. She has twice represented this seat before. With Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Karan Kaur Brar defeated in the elections, she is the party’s seniormost women legislator.

Barindermeet Singh Pahra (Gurdaspur), Balwinder Singh Laddi (Sri Hargobindpur) and Fateh Jang Singh Bajwa (Qadian) are first-timers. It’s almost certain they will not get a ministry.

Tripat Bajwa, Sukhjinder Randhawa and Aruna Chaudhury had remained in the limelight because of their aggressive opposition to SAD’s halqa chiefs. Randhawa would regularly complain to the district administration against the “high-handedness” of Dera Baba Nanak halqa chief SS Langah, going to the extent of getting a DC shifted for “playing into Langah’s hands.The officer was transferred at the behest of the Election Commission after Randhawa filed a complaint, along with evidence.

Tripat too would take on Fatehgarh Churian halqa in-charge and former Speaker NS Kahlon, publicly announcing that Kahlon was “indulging in the politics of vengeance by planting false cases against Congress workers.”