Constituency Watch - Ferozepur: SAD eyeing victory for seventh time on the trot

Jupinderjit Singh/ Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, May 22

Politicians usually visit the Ferozepur parliamentary constituency during the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, whose last rites were performed on the banks of the Sutlej at Hussainiwala.

At the time of elections, leaders visiting this border constituency talk of opening of the Hussainiwala border with Pakistan for trade. Before the Partition, Ferozepur and Kasur (now in Pakistan) fell on the international trade route, which connected Central Asia.

Despite repeated disappointment, the voters have created a record of sorts by electing candidates of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) since 1998. However, it may not be a cakewalk for the Akali Dal this time as it failed to stich an alliance with the BJP for the Lok Sabha poll, which has a good voter base in the Fazilka belt, besides Ferozepur city.

After Sukhbir decided not to contest the parliamentary poll, SAD has put its bet on Nardev Singh Mann, alias Bobby, younger son of three-time MP and Akali stalwart Zora Singh Mann, who had won this constituency thrice from 1998 to 2004.

The electorate

• Total votes: 16,51,859
• Male: 8,70,967
• Female: 7,80,848
• Third gender: 44

The Congress has fielded former MP Sher Singh Ghubaya, who belongs to the “Rai Sikh” community to contest the poll. Earlier, Ghubaya had won this seat in 2009 and 2014 on the ticket of the Akali Dal.

AAP has fielded its Muktsar MLA Jagmeet Singh Kaka Brar, who is trying to capitalise on the fact that eight out of the nine Assembly segments have AAP MLAs in this constituency. However, AAP is also facing rebellion from some its leaders who were in the race for the ticket. Senior AAP leader Angrej Singh Warwal, who belongs to the Rai Sikh community, has decided to contest as an Independent.

The BJP has given the ticket to former minister and four-time Guruharsahai Congress MLA Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi. Winning over the trust of the BJP’s old guards and protest by farmers are among his main challenges.

The caste factor also play a vital role in the outcome of the elections in this constituency. Rai Sikhs are one of the predominant communities followed by Jatt Sikhs, besides Kambojs and Aroras have a sizeable chunk of votes.

Major issues

• n Reopening of Hussainiwala border for trade and transit which was closed in the aftermath of the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war
• n Lack of employment-generating institutions and unabated smuggling of drugs from Pakistan
• n No ownership rights and compensation to border farmers having land holdings across the barbed fencing
• n Better rail and road connectivity with bigger cities, including commissioning of the Patti-Ferozepur rail link
• n Little tourist activities and preservation of historical monuments, which are lying in a shambles

Jagmit Singh Kaka Brar (AAP)

In the 2017 Assembly poll, Brar contested as AAP candidate from Muktsar but lost. The party again fielded him in the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections and he won by a margin of 34,194 votes. Brar has been elected the MC councillor twice.

Nardev Singh Mann (SAD)

He is the younger son of three-time MP and Akali stalwart Zora Singh Mann, who won this constituency for three consecutive terms from 1998 to 2004. Nardev has remained the sarpanch of Chakk Suhele Wala village.

Sher Singh Ghubaya (Congress)

He was an accountant at a brick-kiln and brought into active politics by Akali MP Zora Singh Mann in 1997 following which he contested and won his maiden Assembly poll from Jalalabad. He won this Lok Sabha seat twice as an Akali candidate in 2009 and 2014. He lost the seat in 2019 while contesting as the Congress candidate.

Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi (BJP)

An old warhorse, Sodhi is a four-time MLA from Guruharsahai. He remained the Sports Minister during the Congress government led by Capt Amarinder Singh till the latter was removed by the party as the CM. He joined the BJP just before the 2022 Assembly poll. After switching over to the saffron party, Sodhi contested from the Ferozepur (Urban) segment but lost the seat.

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