Jain yet to win over Akali cadre

Wednesday, 13/02/2013

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130213/punjab.htm#1

Moga : While Joginder Pal Jain, SAD candidate, faces the daunting task of winning over a reluctant Akali cadre, the Congress and its candidate Vijay Sathi face the problem of finding enough party workers to take on the Akali juggernaut.

Supporters of former Director-General of police (DGP) PS Gill and those of former municipal committee president Makhan Brar are reluctant to back Jain. Gill's supporters are peeved at the SAD for changing its face in the constituency. Councillors supporting Brar, who is former Agriculture Minister Tota Singh's son, are insecure as they feel Jain will promote his own team if elected.

Jain's team consists of former Congress men who defected to the SAD along with him.This en masse desertion has affected the Congress as Jain was virtually running the party in the constituency since the past 10 years.

The Congress is banking on the fact that the people will punish Jain for switching loyalties for "selfish interests" rather than any ideological fallout with the party. Jain is trying to explain his action by claiming that he had done so for the people of Moga so that they would have a say in governance. The SAD, which was seen to be trailing behind the Congress, is gradually getting stronger. Faridkot MLA Deep Malhotra, who is camping in the office of Aggarwal Sabha president Manjit Kansal, today told arhtiyas that it was best to be part of the government. Kansal maintained that the Aggarwal community would support Jain's candidature. However, the reluctance of Gill's supporters to support Jain is affecting his chances.

"How do we back a person we had opposed only a year back," asked a supporter, adding that even Gill was finding it difficult to convince his supporters to toe the party line. Gill, when questioned, said he was telling all his supporters to support Jain wholeheartedly.

In such a situation, it is SAD president Sukhbir Badal's presence alone in Moga that might work for Jain. Sukhbir has been meeting a cross-section of voters and has cajoled some councillors into backing Jain. He also has to win over BJP workers who are not enthused over Jain's candidature with talks of the SAD getting a majority on its own in the assembly if it wins Moga. The Congress is trying to put Jain on the defensive and Sathi has succeeded in this partially. Sathi's speeches target Jain for his "opportunism" and other "habits" which draw applause from the crowds.The fact that Pradesh Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh and local constituency in charge Rana Gurjit Singh are camping here and leading the campaign from the front is also helping Sathi.

The SAD campaign in the city is picking up with more local leaders joining the Akalis. Former Bar Association president and Congress man Naseeb Bawa joined the SAD along with his supporters today. The Congress campaign has been suffering from a lack of spending power as well as the fact that the party has more leaders than workers in the constituency.

The coming days will be tough for the urban voters of Moga, who comprise 65,000 of the 1,00,000 electorate. They will have to decide on whether to opt for the SAD's development plank or respond to the Congress' call for conscience voting.

SAD Scenario

    Supporters of former DGP Gill and those of former MC chief Makhan Brar are reluctant to back Jain
    Gill's supporters are peeved at the SAD for changing its face in the constituency
    Councillors supporting Brar are insecure that Jain will promote his own team if elected
    Sukhbir has cajoled some councillors into backing Jain
    But he has also to win over BJP workers not enthused over Jain's candidature

Cong Gameplan

    Congress is trying to put Jain on the defensive; Sathi has succeeded in this endeavour
    Sathi's speeches target Jain for his "opportunism" which draw an applause
    PCC chief Amarinder Singh and constituency in charge Rana Gurjit are camping in Moga
    Their leading the Congress campaign from the front has helped Sathi considerably
    But SAD campaign in the city is picking up with more local leaders joining the SAD