Constituency watch: Patiala-Urban - It's a matter of prestige for Congress
Thursday, 14/08/2014
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140814/punjab.htm#4
Patiala : Poor sanitation, broken roads, shoddy MC functioning, encroachments and waterlogging are the key issues on which the voters of this constituency will cast their vote on August 21.
Failing to retain the Patiala Lok Sabha seat, Preneet Kaur, who was minister in the UPA government, is now contesting the Patiala-Urban Assembly seat. She is pitted against SAD-BJP nominee Bhagwan Dass Juneja and Harjeet Singh Adaltiwala of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). This fledgling party had secured 35,676 votes in the Lok Sabha elections compared to the Congress's 43,238. The SAD bagged only 16,342 votes in this segment.
With the Congress winning this seat nine times in the past five decades, it continues to be a Congress stronghold.The seat fell vacant after Capt Amarinder Singh resigned as an MLA to fight the Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar. Amarinder Singh has been aggressively canvassing for his wife Preneet. He will be in the constituency till the polling day. For him, it's a prestige war.
Since 1977, the SAD has won the seat only twice. In 1977, Akali leader Sardara Singh Kohli won the seat defeating Shambhu Prasad (Independent). In the 1980, 1985 and 1992 elections, the seat was wrested by Congress' Brahm Mohindra. In 1997, Sardara Singh Kohli's son Surjit Singh Kohli defeated Mohindra. In the 2002 Assembly elections, Mohindra was shifted to Samana and Amarinder fielded as Congress candidate. He defeated SAD's Sarup Singh Sehgal and became the Chief Minister. In 2007, Amarinder Singh defeated SAD candidate Surjit Singh Kohli. He again won the seat in 2012.
