Scenario unclear, parties lie low ahead of D-Day

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 22

With the scenario for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat getting confusing owing to an upsurge of the BSP, none of the four main candidates have reportedly made any preparations for tomorrow’s victory after the declaration of the poll result.

No party has placed any orders for laddoos, arranged for a dhol or planned any roadshow after the declaration of the results. All four candidates – sitting MP and Congress candidate Chaudhary Santokh Singh, SAD candidate Charanjit Atwal, BSP candidate Balwinder Kumar and AAP candidate Justice Zora Singh (retd) – have been claiming that they are hopeful, but will make all arrangements only upon getting the result.

Chaudhary Santokh, who had in 2014 won with a margin of 70,981 votes, claims that his margin would get doubled this time. Asked if orders for laddoos have been placed, his son Vikramjit Chaudhary said, “Every sweetshop owner of Jalandhar is our voter. So, whatever they make we will distribute”.

Akali candidate Charanjit Atwal and his sons, who had left for Ludhiana, too was back in Jalandhar for making counting preparations and assigning duties to counting agents.

“I am hopeful and praying to the Almighty. I have seen a huge response in my favour in Jalandhar, especially in the city, like the kind it was in 1977. But I have not placed any orders for laddoos. Whosoever will be happy with my result will himself get sweets for me,” Atwal said.

Balwinder Kumar too has been claiming a winnable position. “If I lose, it will be with a thin margin”. Justice Zora Singh says, “We campaigned well. We are hopeful of a victory”.

Naresh Mittal of Jalandhar’s popular Lovely Sweets said, “No party has placed any order to us. But we are going ahead with advance preparation of making laddoos, expecting the winner and his supporters to reach out to us tomorrow after result.”