Sunny Deol: No more star campaigner

Gurdaspur: Film star Sunny Deol is grappling with life’s many incongruities. In 2019, when he was not interested in politics, the BJP think-tank concluded that he was the best bet to improve the party’s numbers in Parliament and virtually arm-twisted him to contest. Although reluctant, Deol nevertheless came and won by 70,000 votes. He was the darling of the masses and would get mobbed wherever he would go. A loyalist claimed that in the recently concluded Assembly poll, the MP was not even invited to campaign. His office denies this but his supporters admit this is a fact. Deol seems to have reconciled himself to the vagaries of political life.

Voters keep politicians guessing

Sangrur: Having failed to get the exact information about the votes they polled in the 2022 Assembly elections, candidates are busy meeting voters at social and religious events to gauge the final outcome. Earlier, politicians used to disappear after the voting took place and used to surface on the day of the counting. However, this time, many candidates can be seen interacting with area residents on a regular basis. Seeing huge number of voters surrounding them in functions, candidates somehow feel positive, but after seeing the same crowd with their opponents, they are feeling jittery.

Shattered, parents rue lack of support

Muktsar: Parents of some stranded students in war-torn Ukraine said locals and welfare organisations did not come out in their support. Though a march was carried out by residents and a symbolic protest was also lodged, yet a worried parent Ranjeet Singh said, “Today our kids are stuck in Ukraine. It can happen with anyone else. Locals should have come out in large numbers to give a message to society that we are all united in the difficult times. A majority of people preferred to remain silent.”

Award for stubble mgmt warrior

Muktsar: Gurmeet Singh, a young farmer from Kattianwali village in the Lambi Assembly segment, has been selected for the “IARI Fellow Award” by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). The award will be bestowed upon him during national agriculture fair “Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela 2022”, which is scheduled to be held in Delhi from March 9-11. Gurmeet claimed that he did not burn crop residue and farmers stopped burning stubble on around 1,000 acres in the area. Earlier, he was conferred “Innovative Farmer Award 2020”. 

Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal, Parvesh Sharma and Archit Watts