Amarinder backs Manpreet’s wish to contest from Lambi
Friday, 08/04/2016
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=153748&boxid=57922&uid=&dat=2016-04-08
Bathinda : A day after PPP-turned Congress leader Manpreet Singh Badal expressed his desire to contest against his Chief Minister uncle Parkash Singh Badal from Lambi, Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh announced to have no objection in fulfilling the same.
Amarinder, who was at Sangrur, also went ahead in mentioning that if the high command finally fields Manpreet from Lambi assembly segment, he would put his best to ensure his victory.Though it’s a well-known fact that the tickets in Congress are being finalised by the top figures in AICC, an open expression of desire by Manpreet and a subsequent announcement by Amarinder in his support has escalated the temperature of state’s politics. While some poll analysts take Manpreet’s expression a well-planned move as they see it in connection with his decision to merge the political outfit PPP in Congress with also correlating the things with 2014 polls when Manpreet had contested Bathinda Lok Sabha polls against Sukhbir Singh Badal’s wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
Giving a tough contest to the ruling family’s daughter-in-law, Manpreet Singh Badal had finally lost the polls by about 20,000 votes, whereas Harsimrat had defeated Captain Amarinder’s son Raninder Singh from the same seat in 2009 by a margin of over 1 lakh votes.
With the rumours flying thick and fast, the political analysts also see it the Congress strategy to keep the ruling Badal busy in Lambi assembly segment only by making his own family member posing challenge for him.
Earlier, the Congress used to field the octogenarian Parkash Singh Badal’s estranged cousin Mahesh Inder Singh Badal from Lambi constituency but as Mahesh Inder has now hanged up his boots, Congress has got it another rival from the same Badal family to counter the five-time CM Parkash Singh Badal.
Notably, in 2012, the then PPP president Manpreet had fielded his father Gurdas Singh Badal against the latter’s real brother-Parkash Singh Badal. However, Gurdas had lost badly to his elder brother. While campaigning, Gurdas Singh Badal had also expressed his helplessness, stating: “I have always supported my brother and ensured his victory but now due to the family feud, I am contesting against the same brother.”
