Ludhiana's electoral battle would be keenly watched

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Ludhiana's electoral battle would be keenly watched

Monday, 18 February 2019 | Monika Malik

Dubbed as India’s Manchester, Ludhiana is considered the best city in India to do business. But the largest city north of Delhi has other things to its credit too. It has been a battleground of fierce political battles, and 2019 will be no different.

Oscillating between the Congress and Akalis, Ludhiana has never been a stronghold of any political party as such.

Witnessing a closely-contested four-way electoral battle in 2014, Ludhiana Lok Sabha constituency is all set to get a load of something similar with the grand-alliance taking shape under the banner of Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA) on Punjab’s political scene.

Though Simarjeet Singh Bains — who finished at the fourth place in 2014 polls with 19.14 percent of the total votes polled — is expected to be PDA’s candidate from the seat, the formation of a grand-alliance, comprising SAD (Taksali) led by Akali stalwarts Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Sewa Singh Sekhwan, and Ratan Singh Ajnala; Sukhpal Khaira’s Punjabi Ekta Party, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Patiala MP Dr Dharamvir Gandhi’s Punjab Manch, among others, has the ability to change the political equations.

The same could be possible as the Congress’ sitting MP and the frontrunner Ravneet Singh Bittu is facing the opposition from within, while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are yet to zero-in on their candidates.

In 2014 elections, Simarjeet Bains secured over two lakh votes. Having a considerable stronghold in Ludhiana, Simarjeet along with his brother, Balwinder Bains, went on to form Lok Insaaf Party (LIP), and contested 2017 state assembly elections in coalition with AAP.

Simarjeet is currently MLA from Atam Nagar, while his brother is representing Ludhiana South in the Vidhan Sabha. Parting ways with AAP after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s meek apology to SAD leader Bikram Majithia for drug allegations against him, the Bains Brothers has now decided to be a part of the PDA.

“Even as the talks regarding seat share and finalising the candidates are still going on, it is almost final that Simarjeet, who is the two-time MLA from here, is suitable to contest from Ludhiana as PDA candidate. As an independent, he bagged 2,10,917 votes. And now, under the PDA, he is sure to win,” a member of the PDA, told The Pioneer ‘off the record’.

On the other hand, Congress is in quandary — whether to re-nominate its sitting MP Ravneet Singh Bittu or go with a Hindu face in Ludhiana.

The grandson of Punjab’s former Chief Minister Beant Singh, who was assassinated by the terrorists in 1995, Bittu was not the party’s first choice for Ludhiana in 2014. Bittu, who was elected MP in his first Lok Sabha election in 2009 from Anandpur Sahib, was shifted owing to anti-incumbency wave against him to Ludhiana replacing sitting MP Tewari, who voluntarily opted out of polls due to ill-health.

Enjoying proximity with the Congress national president Rahul Gandhi, the energetic and candid Bittu is a part of Gandhi scion’s youth brigade. Hopeful of being nominated from Ludhiana, Bittu is banking on his personal contact with the masses, taking up people’s issues, besides carrying out development works.

Bittu is also confident to get the party ticket as his competitor within the Congress, former Union Minister Manish Tewari, has sought a ticket from Chandigarh parliamentary constituency. But with the Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu’s wife Dr Navjot Kaur and former Union Minister Pawan Bansal already out in the field, Tewari has slim chances to get the ticket from the UT.

In that case, for Tewari, Ludhiana would be the other option. “Ludhiana primarily being an urban area, with a substantial amount of Hindu population, the Congress is considering to field a Hindu face, and in that case Tewari has a chance,” said a senior Congress leader.

Tewari was elected Ludhiana MP in 2009 till 2014, by winning the seat with a whopping margin of more than one lakh votes. During that term, he also served as the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister in the UPA Government.

But, Bittu has reportedly conveyed to the party high command that he was not interested in contesting from any other seat than Ludhiana.

However, besides Tewari, Bittu’s claim for the party ticket was also challenged by other senior leaders including six-time MLA Rakesh Pandey, Ludhiana Congress leader and Tewari’s close aide Pawan Dewan, a retired Army man Lt Colonel Harbant Singh Kahlon, and Punjab Congress’ general secretary Sanjiv Bhargav — all hailing from Tewari camp.

Pandey, who enjoys not-so-good relations with Bittu especially after 2017 state assembly elections, highlighted his family lineage serving the Congress from a long time coupled with his credentials, while claiming the ticket. Bittu had reportedly opposed Pandey’s candidature while supporting to field Hemraj Aggarwal and Madan Lal Bagga.

A seasoned politician like Pandey, six-time MLA and once a Minister, may give a tough challenge to Bittu’s claim for the ticket.

The Vir Chakra awardee Lt Col Kahlon, commonly known as ‘tank shooter’ by his army friends, claimed to have support of 34 organisations of central and state pensioners, which may go in his favour.

Akali Dal, at the same time, is considering to field one of its trusted soldiers. It is believed that the party is mulling to field the former state minister and Sahnewal MLA Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, who had been elected Ludhiana MP twice — in 1985 and 2004.

Dhillon, considered close to former Chief Minister and Akali patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, is reportedly “not interested” in contesting parliamentary polls and is presently satisfied being an MLA.

Other than Dhillon, former Minister Maheshinder Singh Grewal’s name is also in the consideration zone. Grewal, the former adviser to the Chief Minister and senior leader, has already become active, attending functions and events in the constituency.

The party had fielded former MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali against Bittu in 2014 polls who finished third with 2,56,590 (23.28 percent) votes in its share. Also losing 2017 state assembly polls against AAP’s HS Phoolka from Dakha, Ayali has remained out of political scene since then.

SAD had been virtually swept out of the constituency after AAP’s entry in the state politics, in 2014. It lost 2014 Lok Sabha polls, followed by a clean sweep from the constituency in 2017 state elections despite its claims of having a strong foothold in Dakha, Jagraon and Gill assembly segments.

This election, SAD is desperate to win back Ludhiana, and is thus planning to field a tested and known face.

AAP is struggling to find a candidate to match the popularity and stature of HS Phoolka, a renowned advocate fighting cases of 1984 anti-Sikh riots who contested 2014 polls as AAP candidate. Phoolka, who finished second with 2,60,750 votes in 2014, was later elected to Vidhan Sabha from Dakha assembly segment.

However, Phoolka has now resigned from AAP, and also as an MLA, which is yet to be accepted by the Speaker. In his place, AAP may field its Ludhiana district president Daljit Singh Grewal (Bhola), who finished second in a closely-fought election against Congress’ Sanjeev Talwar from Ludhiana East lagging behind 1581 votes.

Once a close aide of Simarjeet Bains, Grewal had parted ways with him in 2016 accusing him of arbitrarily running the party affairs, and joined AAP.

A former ‘independent’ councillor from Ludhiana, Grewal had also contested 2012 Vidhan Sabha elections from Ludhiana (East) as an independent candidate and fetched around 25,000 votes.

CONSTITUENCY AT A GLANCE

Ludhiana constituency comprises nine assembly segments out of which five are represented by the Congress, while AAP and LIP have two seats each. SAD-BJP combine, which has ruled the state for a decade, had faced a clean sweep in the constituency in 2017 state assembly polls.

A look at the constituency’s electoral history revealed that Ludhiana had never been a stronghold of any political party. Only Congress’ Devinder Singh Garcha has been elected thrice as Ludhiana MP in 1967, 1971 and 1980.

The party winning this seat has alternated between the SAD and the Congress and it will be interesting to see who wins this time.

Demographics: Ludhiana segment is divided into both urban and rural populace, with majority of people leaving in towns and cities. State’s industrial town, Ludhiana has a majority of traders and industrialists.

 LAST ELECTION

Congress’ Ravneet Singh Bittu emerged winner by margin of 19,709 votes in a closely-fought four-cornered contest between AAP’s HS Phoolka, SAD’s Manpreet Singh Ayali, and ‘independent’ candidate Simrajeet Singh Bains in 2014 parliamentary polls.

Ayali, the then MLA from Dakha whch falls under Ludhiana Lok Sabha seat, finished third lagging Phoolka by a margin of just 5,782 votes.

Bittu has received 3,00,459 votes (27.27 percent of the total votes polled) defeating AAP’s Phoolka, who got 2,60,750 (25.48 percent) votes, by a vote share of 1.79 percent. SAD’s Ayali bagged 2,56,590 (23.28 percent) votes, with Independent Simarjit Bains getting 2,10,917 votes (19.14 percent) in his first Lok Sabha elections.

LAST THREE MPs

2014: Ravneet Singh Bittu (Congress)

2009: Manish Tewari (Congress)

2004: Sharanjit Singh Dhillon (SAD)

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