Wards of influential families in fray

Archit Watts
Tribune News Service
Muktsar, December 20

Karanbir Brar, grandson of former Chief Minister Harcharan Singh Brar, is again contesting the election for the post of sarpanch from his native village Sarainaga here as a Congress candidate. Harcharan Brar, too, was once the village sarpanch.

Karanbir (38), an MBA from the US, is son of former Muktsar MLA Karan Kaur Brar. His father late Kanwarjit Singh ‘Sunny’ Brar, also a former MLA from Muktsar, and elder brother Tegbir Brar, too, have remained the village sarpanch in the past.

Karan Kaur said, “Apart from Karanbir, there are some people who have filed nominations from Sarainaga for the sarpanch elections. One of them is accused of demolishing a water channel, which we have brought to the notice of the election authorities.” In 2013, Karanbir had won the election with 297 votes.

Meanwhile, at Badal village, Uday Singh Dhillon, a relative of former CM Parkash Singh Badal, is in the fray for the sarpanch’s post. At Chhateana village, Rajinder Singh ‘Raja’, a personal assistant of Congress MLA from Bhucho Pritam Singh Kotbhai, is contesting for the sarpanch’s post. At Dhulkot village, Santosh Kaur, mother of Gurdas Badal’s personal assistant Gurpiar Singh, is also contesting.

In Gidderbaha, it’s Manpreet vs Warring’s aides

In a dozen villages of Gidderbaha, people close to Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and Gidderbaha MLA Amrinder Singh ‘Raja Warring’ are taking on each other in the polls. At some places, even some Akalis are said to be supporting the Manpreet-backed candidates.