Ghubaya Jr, youngest in fray at 25, gets going

Sarbjit Dhaliwal & Praful Chander Nagpal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 14

Pushed into the rough and tumble of politics by his Akali MP father, Davinder Singh Ghubaya is the youngest candidate in the Punjab poll fray, contesting on a Congress ticket. 

  Interacting with voters in his Fazilka constituency, he shows signs of nervousness. Shy, he is far from being eloquent. Nevertheless, he seems to have built a connect with the people with affable mannerism — bending to touch the feet of the elders and greeting the youngsters with a warm smile, hands folded. Compared to the aged Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, often described as “Baba Bohr” of Punjab politics, Davinder is a novice. He became eligible for contesting  only a month ago (December 13). The mandatory age is 25. 

In fact, there has been a controversy regarding his age. While his school certificate mentions the date of birth as July 31,1993, his birth certificate, issued by the Jalalabad Municipal Committee, shows him born on December 13, 1991.

A student of MA (Hons School) in Economics at Panjab University here, Davinder speaks of unemployment allowance, demonetisation, better education and healthcare and withdrawal of "false" cases by the incumbent government in the state. 

A cricket buff, Davinder is an avid fan of folk singer-cum-actor Ranjit Bawa. He has no love for literature. Books on political economy alone engage his interest. “As I grew up in a political family, I was always amid  people. But campaigning has been an altogether new experience. Youngsters see a ray of hope in me,” he says. 

His father Sher Singh Ghubaya is an Akali MP. He enjoys considerable influence over the Rai Sikh community, to which his family belongs. Rai Sikhs have a dominating presence in the Fazilka belt. Sher Singh fell out with the SAD leadership and decided to use the Congress launchpad to initiate his son into politics.