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- INDIA
The best ‘winning’ bet of Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal in the current parliamentary polls is the Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency. The party has put all its might behind former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
Harsimrat’s husband Sukhbir Singh Badal is the party president and her father-in-law Parkash Singh Badal was a five-time Chief Minister of Punjab. She is looking for a fourth consecutive term from the Bathinda seat.
The party that now stands pushed to the margins of Punjab politics over the last seven years, wants to retain its stronghold of Bathinda at all costs. However, Harsimrat faces a stiff challenge from Gurmeet Singh Khuddian of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu of the Congress.
Also in the fray is Parampal Kaur of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She is the daughter in law of Akali leader Sikander Singh Maluka, and is a former civil servant.
Bathinda has been transformed into an urban centre, very different from what it used to be a couple of decades ago. The people attribute this transformation to the Badal family.
This is the sentiment that Harsimrat and her supporters are banking on to seek votes, besides the narratives around larger issues. The locals are quick to say that an institution like the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) exists in Bathinda because of the Badals.
“This place stands transformed into a modern city because of the Badal family. Not only AIIMS, it has an oil refinery, a central university, a technical university, a cancer hospital, a domestic airport and a sports school,” Pawan Kumar who runs a milk booth in the heart of the city, said.
The constituency is spread across nine Assembly constituencies of Bathinda rural, Bathinda urban, Lambi, Sardulgarh, Maur, Mansa, Talwandi Sabo, Budhlada and Bhucho Mandi.
“The free ration given to the poor that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is talking about is something that was conceived by the Akali government in Punjab in the form of the Atta Dal scheme. We do not believe in deceiving people and promise only what we can deliver.
“The Akalis were defamed on the issues of prevailing drug menace and the incidents of sacrilege of holy texts. Nothing has come out against us in any of these and the people realise this.
“We are the ones who have been standing with the farmers and the Panth on the issue of Bandi Singhs (Sikh prisoners languishing in jails for cases pertaining to the militancy era),” vice president of the party Manju Qureshi claimed.
When pointed out about the public perception that the Akalis might still go with the BJP in the Parliament, she said, “They will have our support only when they address the issues of Punjab, whether it is the issue of farmers, Bandi Singhs or others.”
The people point out Harsimrat’s ‘two sides’ on the farmers’ issue. They are annoyed at the Akali Dal for initially defending the three controversial agriculture laws brought about by the Modi government that were eventually withdrawn after an unprecedented farmers’ movement.
But at the same time they underlined that there was “tough talk from Harsimrat in the Parliament” on the same issue, after the Akalis walked out of the alliance with the BJP at the height of the farmers’ movement.
The Congress, meanwhile, is playing up public centric issues like the menace caused by the Ghaggar river in the villages of Sardulgarh. “There are so many issues that continue to remain unaddressed. The drug menace continues to thrive while the law and order situation continues to deteriorate.
“The farm crisis also continues to aggravate. The farmers in the cotton belt as this area is known have suffered losses for two straight crop cycles. The Agniveer scheme is being disliked by the youth that once craved to be a part of the defence forces. He is instead choosing to go abroad,” Goldy Sidhu who is managing the Congress candidate’s campaign said.
Responding to the Akali claims on development, Sidhu said, “Projects like an oil refinery and AIIMS are a part of a continuing process over the years. The refinery project was initiated during the Dr Manmohan Singh era. Where are the ancillary units that should have come after the refinery?
“There is no new industry or any incentive to bring new industries that can create jobs. The marginal farmers also continue to suffer. The AAP government has also a lot to answer to the people for its failure to deliver on the promises that it made.”
Congress candidate Sidhu returned to the party only late last year after having switched over to the Akalis in 2014. He has a comparatively low profile as compared to the candidates that the Congress had fielded against Harsimrat on the previous three occasions.
In 2009 it had fielded Raninder Singh who is the son of former CM Captain Amarinder Singh, in 2014 it had fielded former state finance minister Manpreet Badal and in 2019 it had fielded its current state chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring. He is a former MLA from Talwandi Sabo.
The AAP candidate Khuddian is also in contention on an equal footing. He had emerged as a giant killer for the AAP in the 2022 Assembly elections by defeating Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal on the Lambi seat. AAP has fielded eight of its MLAs including five ministers in the state government for the Lok Sabha battle.
He is seeking votes largely on the performance of the AAP government in the state while also focusing on the people’s demands on better amenities.
“Not everything is done for profit. You have to address the aspirations of the people. The water storage capacity for Bathinda is being increased from 14 days to 28 days. We are focusing on addressing the educational and health needs of the people,” Jagwinder Dhillon, who is a part of the team managing Khuddian’s campaign, said.
On being asked how Khuddian is dealing with the farmers who gather to ask him questions around their issues in the villages, he said, “He first meets the farmers and explains what is being done to address their concerns. He apprises them about the status of the files moved by him and then invites them to his public meetings.”
On being asked about the development claims of Harsimrat, Dhillon said,” The place should have development and it is the duty of the MP to bring projects.”
This constituency can play a pivotal role in the larger scheme of things of the Akalis that are eyeing a revival by the 2027 Assembly polls. Many observers feel that the party can see an automatic revival in its political fortunes if it comes out of the dominance of the Badal family.
It is a common perception among those keenly watching the political developments in Punjab that the state needs a strong regional force. The Akali Dal is India’s oldest regional force and is known for spearheading battles for the federal rights of the states. The people also point out that this party has helped check the growth of hard line elements in Punjab.
The question right now is will Harsimrat, fondly referred to as ‘Bibaji’ by her supporters, retain the Bathinda fortress for the party? If yes, can this victory trigger its revival? It’s all in the hands of the voters now.
