In Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha seat, aspirants make their presence felt

Aman Sood &Surinder Bhardwaj

Fatehgarh Sahib, March 10

In the religiously inclined and industrially sound reserved Lok Sabha seat of Fatehgarh Sahib, all major parties have started hectic preparations and getting inside surveys conducted to select winnable candidates. Though there are frontrunners and dark horses waiting to take the political plunge, parties have kept their cards close to their chest.

Inside surveys to find candidates

• All major parties have started hectic preparations and getting inside surveys conducted to select winnable candidates for the Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha (reserved) constituency
• Though there are front runners and dark horses awaiting to take the political plunge, parties have kept cards close to their chest

For years, parties in power have promised development works in the holy land. But in reality, growth has eluded Fatehgarh Sahib. Successive MPs have failed to do much for the people here.

The Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha (reserved) constituency, which was carved out of Ropar (reserved) segment in 2009, promises a cracker of a contest. The SAD (B) has already hinted a few times that Bikram Singh Khalsa, a former chief parliamentary secretary and the son of late Basant Singh Khalsa, for the seat. He remains the frontrunner with not many in fray.

In other parties, some interesting turns and twists are in the offing. Senior Congress leader Samsher Singh Dullo has put his hat in the ring for the party ticket, while his son Bunny Dullo is aspiring for an AAP ticket. Bunny has put up hoardings in all nine Assembly constituencies falling in the parliamentary seat.

Supporters of Dullo presented his case before PCC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and state incharge Devinder Yadav during their recent visit to Fatehgarh Sahib. Though on record Dullo says he will abide by the party’s decision. If the father and the son are allotted the tickets of their respective parties, it will be an interesting contest between the two.

Besides Dullo, the others in the race for the Congress ticket are sitting MP Dr Amar Singh. Another name in fray for the Congress ticket is Lakhbir Singh Lakha, a former MLA from Payal. The Congress could trust former CM Charanjit Singh Channi too from the seat as he has been an active visitor to this constituency.

There are four aspirants for the BJP ticket, though BJP could field a fresh face and surprise many. As for now, four names are doing the rounds. The BJP could rely on Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, whom it had fielded as its candidate for the bypoll to the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat in 2023. The son of Lok Sabha’s former Deputy Speaker Charanjit Atwal, Inder was named BJP candidate three days after he switched over to the saffron party from the SAD.

As far as AAP is concerned, there are many ticket aspirants; all of them have put up hoardings to draw the party’s attention. Former District Congress Committee president and former MLA from Bassi Pathana Gurpreet Singh GP, who joined AAP two days ago, is now considered the frontrunner. In addition to AAP votes, he will eye Congress votes too.

Patiala District Planning Board chairman Jassi Sohianwala is also doing the rounds. The AAP could field Cabinet Minister Harpal Cheema, who is a popular face in the constituency. The name of a confidante of the Punjab CM who is a film artist is also doing the rounds.