Deol storm unabated, SOS to Priyanka

Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service
Gurdaspur, May 12

With Deol euphoria refusing to subside, PPCC chief and Congress candidate Sunil Jakhar has sent an SOS to AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to hold a roadshow in Pathankot on May 14 to which she has reportedly agreed.

Jakhar’s election managers have chalked out an elaborate programme in which, say sources, more than 15,000 people are expected to participate. The venue has been carefully chosen after much deliberation. The roadshow will pass through the Assembly seats of Bhoa, Pathankot, Sujanpur and Dinanagar, all Hindu dominated areas and seen as BJP strongholds. Observers say Priyanka’s show is expected to enthuse the party cadre at the grassroots level.

A former BJP minister managing Deol’s campaign remarked: “This may neutralise whatever gains we have made till date. There could also be a shift in the women vote in favour of the Congress. Youth vote is likely to be swayed too. The Congress has planned a meeting of exservicemen with Priyanka, a smart move because Sujanpur and Pathankot have pockets where former defence personnel hold sway. A slight shift in this 20,000-strong vote bank can be detrimental to us.” 

Jakhar’s backroom managers are trying to cash in on CM Amarinder Singh’s announcement that Jakhar would be Punjab’s future CM. “Clearly, the CM has tried to woo Hindu voters,” said a minister in the Amarinder Cabinet. All seven Congress legislators of this parliamentary constituency, including the three ministers, have fanned out in their respective areas, pleading with the voters to vent out anger against them, if any, in the 2022 Assembly polls but vote for Jakhar now.

“It is a do or die battle for us. The reputation of all MLAs is at stake. We have identified seats where we are weak and designed strategies accordingly. Voters know that Deol is a novice in politics. He is not even aware of the basic problems of the constituency. Why then will the people vote for him,” observed Dera Baba Nanak MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. 

CONG HOPEFUL OF...

• Shift in the women vote post Priyanka roadshow
• The party expects the youth vote to swing too
• Priyanka’s meeting with ex-servicemen may change game