It’s Jai-Veeru fight at Atam Nagar

Mohit Khanna

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 15

Permutations and combinations are changing in the run-up to the Assembly elections. In some constituencies, friends have turned foes while in others, relatives have sparred over ticket.

It is a typical Jai versus Veeru fight in the Atam Nagar constituency as old friends-turned-foes would lock horns with each other to win the crucial Assembly seat.

Bains and Karwal, both once considered the thickest of friends, are now sworn enemies.

Together Bains and Karwal created a stronghold in the South and Atam Nagar areas.

At one point of time, Bains, Karwal and other councillors used to decide the fate of candidates in the Atam Nagar and Ludhiana-South constituencies. The group of Simarjit and Karwal used to dominate MC House.

Simarjit played a larger role while Karwal played a second fiddle. Both of them went to jail together for allegedly assaulting and striping the then Tehsildar GS Banipal in 2009.

Both of them were later released on bail. While Bains climbed the ladder of success and went on to become Independent MLA, Karwal was sidelined.

A major turnaround took place in January 2015 when Karwal parted ways with Bains and joined the SAD.

This led to an exodus of sorts in the Bains camp and many others, including close aide Daljit Singh Bhola (who is now AAP contestant from the Ludhiana-East constituency), also left Bains.

Karwal, who was looking forward to getting ticket from the SAD, was left disappointed after the SAD chose newcomer Gurmeet Singh Kular over Karwal. Karwal split up with the SAD and joined the Congress in January. The Congress also did not waste time in offering him ticket.

However, Karwal’s selection for ticket has led to strong opposition in the Congress. But a lobby in the Congress believes that only Karwal has the potential to pose a competition to Simarjit.