Dad’s vote is good omen for me, says Avtar Junior

Deepkamal Kaur

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Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 1

As Congress candidate Avtar Singh Junior alias Bawa Henry (37) is going about campaigning day and night from Jalandhar North, he claims that he felt strongest today after the Punjab and Haryana High Court today has allowed his father and former minister Avtar Henry to cast his vote.

“It has brought loads of good luck for me. What better omen could there be for me just three days ahead of the elections? As I was going for campaigning, I always felt that there will be many votes coming my way but not my dad’s. But now, this most precious vote has boosted my confidence all the more,” he said and folds his hands, looks up and murmurs a short prayer.

Bawa Henry feels that just about 20 days ago, things were going completely the other way.

“My dad lost his voting rights. He was declared ineligible to contest. The party picked one candidate and then another. But with the blessings of the almighty and hundreds of supporters of my dad in the constituency, things began changing in our favour. The ticket changed hands for the second time and came our way. Both candidates — Tejinder Bittu and Pawan Gupta — who got the ticket before us are with us. And finally today, my dad’s voting rights for this poll have been restored,” he said, adding that he actually felt that there was no looking back now.

Asked if the changing of the party by an old-time councillor and aspirant Bal Krishan Bali from the Congress to AAP affected him, he said: “No, it does not. He already was not 

on my dad’s list of supporters.”

The Henry junior has his entire family coming to his support.

“While I am going door-to-door with my friends, dad is organising public meetings for me. Even my wife Harseerat Kaur Sanghera and my sister Jashan Sanghera, lawyer, are campaigning for me,” he said.

When quizzed as to why he did not attend college as he has mentioned Class XII as his qualification, the candidate said: “I am actually a BBA. I did my graduation from abroad and that is why I did not mention it in my nomination papers.”

With two-time BJP MLA KD Bhandari and businessman Gulshan Sharma pitted against him from AAP, the moot question remains as to whether there will be a ‘sunrise’ in the family of Avtar Henry, who has been in the political fray for 30 years now. He has contested six times and won thrice.