BARNALA: Campaigning has started to pick up for the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat byelection, which is set to go to polls on June 23. Candidates of five parties - Aam Aadmi Party, Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal, BJP and SAD (Amritsar) - are in the fray. The parties have deputed leaders to campaign in all nine assembly segments of the parliamentary constituency spread over three districts, Sangrur, Barnala and Malerkotla.
AAP is trying to keep up the winning momentum it achieved in 2014 and 2019, while opposition parties are trying to stop the victory bandwagon of AAP by projecting its three-month performance to be against the expectations of people.
The seat fell vacant after the then AAP MP, Bhagwant Mann, contested the assembly elections and won. He is now the chief minister. AAP has fielded Bhagwant Mann's associate Gurmail Singh, Congress has fielded former Dhuri MLA Dalvir Singh Goldy, SAD has fielded life convict Balwant Singh Rajoana's sister Kamaldeep Kaur, BJP has given the ticket to Congress turncoat Kewal Singh Dhillon, and SAD (Amritsar) has fielded its president and two-time MP Simranjit Singh Mann.
All nine assembly seats of the Lok Sabha seat are represented by AAP, including ministers Harpal Singh Cheema from Dirba and Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer from Barnala, and the CM. Five seats fall in Sangrur district, three in Barnala and one in Malerkotla.
AAP sources said Mann was taking a daily feedback from party leaders. He is expected to campaign soon. Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring is heading the campaign for the party. He has already visited all nine assembly segments. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal is taking ahead the campaign of Kamaldeep and concentrating mainly on the release of Sikh prisoners having already completed their jail terms. Union ministers are expected to intensify campaigning for BJP candidate Kewal Singh Dhillon.
Union minister Som Parkash had accompanied Dhillon for filing papers. It is after 32 years that Simranjit Singh Mann has joined hands with his old pal and ex-MP Rajdev Singh Khalsa. Both of them along with other leaders were elected on Akali Dal Panthik ticket in 1989. While Rajdev was elected from Sangrur, Simranjit Singh Mann was elected from Tarn Taran. "AAP will win the byelection with a thumping majority, as people are happy with the three-month performance of AAP government in Punjab," said Hayer.
Dhillon said people were showing interest in what he described as the "pro-people policies" of Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre.
