BJP’s Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa gets going, no clarity in Congress

Tribune News Service

Ravi Dhaliwal

Batala (Gurdaspur), January 24

With Bharatiya Janata Party, in principle, clearing the name of sitting Qadian MLA Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa from the Batala Assembly seat, the Congress is still struggling to finalise its candidate.

The three other mainline parties — Aam Aadmi Party, Shiromani Akali Dal and Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM) — have already announced their nominees.

A senior BJP leader confirmed the party had given the green signal as far as fielding Fateh was concerned. “The party has a strong Hindu cadre base in the area. Fateh, being a Sikh face, is certain to pull in a large chunk of the Jat Sikh vote to his side. It is going to be a win-win situation for us,” he maintained.

Fateh is a Congress MLA but recently switched sides to the BJP when it became clear he would not be re-nominated by the Congress to the Qadian seat despite PCC president Najvot Singh Sidhu’s backing.

That the party has given its stamp of approval was evident yesterday when the senior leadership asked Fateh to preside over a workers’ meeting.

The legislator was quick to obey the party’s diktat and held a workers’ meeting at the BJP office.

Specks of dissidence did surface against his candidature with veteran leaders claiming they had been ignored. However, by the time the meeting ended, he had managed to pull everyone onto his side, particularly the old-timers from the saffron outfit.

Sources say Fateh still has a lot of work to do because two senior leaders, former municipal committee chief Naresh Mahajan and Batala unit former president Suresh Bhatia, did not turn up. Both were strong contenders for the ticket this time.

With all other mainline parties announcing their candidates, the Congress is still trying to get its act together. Like in the previous elections, the Jat Sikh versus Hindus debate has again surfaced.

Supporters of three-time MLA Ashwani Sekhri claim Batala has a Hindu majority population, while loyalists of Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa cite statistics to claim the majority of voters are Jat Sikhs. Both these leaders are in the reckoning for the ticket. The high command has already re-nominated Tript from his old seat of Fatehgarh Churian but he is adamant that either he or his son should be given the nomination from Batala.

About The Author

Tribune News Service

The Tribune News Service brings you the latest news, analysis and insights from the region, India and around the world. Follow the Tribune News Service for a wide-ranging coverage of events as they unfold, with perspective and clarity.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.

#FatehJungBajwa #SAD #SSM