Turncoats dominate in Patiala segments

Tribune News Service

Aman Sood

Patiala, February 3

Turncoats are having a field day in the Patiala Urban and Rural segments, where two former Mayors, an incumbent Mayor and two former councillors are trying their luck.

In Patiala Urban, barring SAD candidate Harpal Juneja, three other nominees are turncoats, testing loyalty of party workers.

Poll matrix in urban segment

• Congress candidate Vishnu Sharma (ex-Mayor) rejoined the party two weeks ago after having quit the SAD
• Capt Amarinder Singh, who quit the Congress, is contesting on the Punjab Lok Congress ticket
• AAP’s Ajit Pal Kohli (ex-Mayor) joined the party last month after snapping ties with the SAD

One of them is former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, who quit the Congress and formed the Punjab Lok Congress (PLC). He had won the seat in 2017 on a Congress ticket with more than 52,000 votes, defeating AAP’s Dr Balbir Singh.

One of the tallest leaders in the state politics, Capt Amarinder is facing a challenge from three candidates having an association with the Akali Dal. The two former Mayors — Congress candidate Vishnu Sharma and AAP’s Ajit Pal Singh Kohli — recently quit the SAD.

Congress candidate Sharma, a prominent Hindu face of the city politics, was once a close aide of Captain Amarinder. He was the first Mayor of the city. He rejoined the Congress two weeks ago.

“It is homecoming for me. Under Capt Amarinder Singh, party workers felt sidelined,” he said.

Meanwhile, AAP has fielded former Mayor Kohli, who joined the party last month after snapping ties with the SAD. He was the Patiala Mayor from 2007 to 2012. His family had seven decades of association with the Akali Dal. His father Surjit Singh Kohli, senior vice-president of Akali Dal, was a Cabinet Minister in the SAD-BJP alliance in the 1990s. His grandfather Sardara Singh Kohli was a SAD legislator.

Meanwhile, SAD candidate Juneja remained a party councillor from 2012 to 2017. He is the district SAD president of the urban wing. His father Bhagwan Dass Juneja contested unsuccessfully against Amarinder’s wife Preneet Kaur in the 2015 byelection from Patiala Urban.

In the Patiala Rural segment, incumbent Mayor Sanjeev Sharma Bittu, who has joined the PLC, will face former SAD councillor Jaspal Singh Bittu Chatha.

Congress’ Mohit Mohindra, son of Local Bodies Minister Brahm Mohindra, is making his electoral debut, while AAP has fielded eye specialist Dr Balbir Singh.

While Mohit is banking on development in the constituency represented by his father, Mayor Sanjeev Sharma and Dr Singh will try to make inroads ino the constituency.

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