Campaign trail: SAD's Gurbachan Singh Babbehali trying hard to return

Tribune News Service

Ravi Dhaliwal

Gurdaspur, February 2

When SAD’s Gurbachan Singh Babbehali was a ruling party MLA from 2007 till 2017, he was one politician who wielded absolute power. Not a leaf moved without his permission. He posted key men at key posts. The blueprint of all developmental works, minor or major, carried his signatures. Among bureaucrats, his word carried weight.

Then came the fall. In the 2017 polls, he was routed by Barindermeet Pahra of the Congress by nearly 28,000 votes. It was time for introspection. And with it came the change. The aggressiveness with which he carried himself earlier has now been replaced with submissiveness. And his ferocity, which at one time was feared, has given away to a quiet demeanour. “If you learn from defeat, you have not really lost,” he says.

Babbehali is now a changed man as he heads into his third election with optimism.

On a drive to Kala Nangal village, he informs you how the incumbent MLA, had done precious little in the past five years. “Just see the quality of the interlocking tiles. They get damaged days after these are laid,” he quips.

His phone rings. He asks the man on the other side to make sure his entire family leaves the Congress and joins his ranks. “Everybody knows that the Congress is playing a losing game. That is why more and more people want to join the SAD,” he maintains.

He is on the comeback trail knowing well that one defeat does not translate into a final defeat. “I fail to understand why I lost. Major developmental projects like the new civil hospital, District Administrative Complex and the Judicial Complex came up in my tenure. Still, people did not vote for me. This is a bit surprising, isn’t it?”

He leaves his native village at 10 am and returns around 8 pm every day. In between he touches nearly 10-12 villages. Before retiring for the day around midnight, he presides over a workers’ meeting. He gets livid when he talks about the municipal committee elections, claiming these were rigged by the Congress. “All 29 wards were won by the Congress. The electronic voting machines were tampered with, that is for sure,” he says. But there are a few takers for the machines being rigged.

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.

#Gurdaspur #SAD #shiromani akali dal