Akali Bid to win over Independents : The Tribune India

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AMRITSAR: For the coming elections, there are 95 candidates in the field in the 16 Assembly constituencies in Amritsar district. The Akali Dal has fielded 10 Janata Party four and the CPI-M two. The Congress has fielded 13 candidates leaving three seats to their ally, the CPI. Of the remaining 63 Independents one Janata member, Mr Mehnga Singh, has withdrawn from Amritsar City West, leaving 62 Independents in the field.

The Shiromani Akali Dal’s effort is concentrated on securing even at this late stage the withdrawal of its own supporters and members contesting as Independents. Of the dozen or so in the whole of Punjab four powerful Akali or Janata Independents are contesting in this district.

Part VI Election series : Punjab Assembly Elections — 1977

A meeting of three members of the Akali Dal’s Parliamentary Board was held here. It decided either to approach these dozen odd Independents personally or to send emissaries with a personal letter from the President of the Akali Parliamentary Board. As Mr Parkash Singh Badal had to leave suddenly for Delhi he sent a personal note to Mr Manjinder Singh Behla, former Deputy Minister in the Badal Ministry, to withdraw in favour of Mr Prem Singh Lalpura, the Akali Dal’s official nominee.

Mr Lalpura faces a tough contest from Mr Dilbagh Singh Daleke (Congress), former Transport Minister. Some of the six Independents in the field have a great potential for damaging the Akali vote. There is much uncertainly in this constituency and the Congress, too, is playing for high stakes. During his five-year Daleke has done a lot for his tenure as Transport Minister, Mr Daleke has done a lot for his constituency.

The Akali Dal is equally keen on securing the withdrawal of Mr Surinder Singh Kairon from the Noshera Pannuan constituency, where Mr Ranjit Singh is the official Akali candidate opposed by Mrs Jaswant Kaur, ex-MLA (Congress). Of the three Independents in the field, Mr Kairon poses the most serious threat.

In a triangular contest inthe Beas constituency, Mr Jiwan Singh Umranangal (Akali) is opposing the Congress stalwart, Mr Sohan Singh Jalalusman, both ex-Ministers of State. The Akali Dal is keen to secure the withdrawal of Mr Wikhyan Singh, an Independent and former Akali leader, whom Mr Jalalusman defeated in 1972 with a margin of 8,341 votes. In the 1969 poll, Mr Hari Singh (Akali) had defeated Mr Jalalusman by 2,683 votes.

In the sensitive constituency of Valtoha, Mr Hazara Singh Gill, another Akali leader turned Independent, poses a serious threat to the official Akali candidate, Mr Jagir Singh, who is opposed by the CPI leader, Mr Arjan Singh Mastana, ex-MLA. Mr Mastana defeated Mr Jagir Singh in the 1972 poll by 9,303 votes.

This seat has seen fluctuating fortunes. In 1967, Mr Hazara Singh Gill (Sant Akali Dal) defeated Mr Umrao Singh Patti (Congress) by 5,264 votes, while in the 1969 by-election. Mr Gurdip Singh Shaheed (Congress) wrested this seat from the Akali Dal, defeating Mr Narain Singh Shahbazpuri by just 35 votes. Mr Gill as an Independent having revolted against the Akali Dal, had then polled 9,849 votes. Mr Gill’s position is quite strong and his potential for damage great. In the recent Lok Sabha elections he had helped the Akali candidate, Mr Mohan Singh Tur.

In the Tarn Taran constituency, there is a young US returned Independent, Mr Harjit Singh Nagpal (31), among the eight candidates including six Independents. An engineer from Michigan University who has served in that country, Mr Nagpal has at his disposal some funds and ideas perhaps practised in US elections. He claims that the Akali Dal promised to give him the ticket but later changed its mind. He claims to have written some books. The Press had wrongly mixed up with his namesake, who is the Akali President of the Tarn Taran Municipal Committee. Mr Nagpal is a different person.