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AAP’s Dera Baba Nanak candidate gets backing of Langah supporters
As per SAD leaders, the party high command has allowed them to take a decision at the local level regarding support a particular candidate.
A Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) committee in Dera Baba Nanak on Sunday announced support for AAP candidate Gurdeep Singh Randhawa.
The bypolls to the four assembly seats – Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal and Barnala — will take place on November 20 and the counting of votes will be held on November 23.
Both Sukhjinder Randhawa and AAP have been trying to woo SAD voters after the party opted out of contesting the bypolls.
The decision in this regard was announced by the 31-member committee formed by Akali leader Sucha Singh Langah to decide who to support in the bypoll.
Langah holds considerable sway in the constituency having contested twice from here in the 2012 and 2017 elections garnering 63,354 and 59,191 votes, respectively.
On both occasions, he lost to (Sukhjinder) Randhawa by a margin of 2,940 (2012) and 1,194 (2017) votes.
Announcing the decision, Akali leader Rajinder Singh Vairoke, said, “After discussion with the supporters, we have felt that people in the constituency are unhappy with Congress and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. BJP’s conduct has been anti-Sikh like the Congress. While Congress launched an attack on Akal Takht Sahib and instigated anti-Sikh riots in Delhi and other parts of the country, the BJP is interfering in the internal matters of Sikhs. So, we have decided to reject both the parties. As far as the ruling AAP is concerned, we admit that this party has also not delivered on its pre-poll promises. But our aim is to defeat our main rival Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and his family. So the committee has taken the decision that has also been conveyed to Sucha Singh Langah that we will support the AAP candidate.”
As per SAD leaders, the party high command has allowed them to take a decision at the local level regarding support a particular candidate.
Notably, Langah was also present on the premises of the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Dera Baba Nanak here where the meeting took place.
PTI quoted Langah: “We trust that the Akali workers of Dera Baba Nanak will stand united and support Gurdeep Randhawa to ensure Congress is defeated.”
SAD has a strong base in this constituency and its candidate Ravikaran Singh Kahlon (who is now the BJP nominee for the bypoll), lost to Randhawa by just 466 votes in the 2022 assembly polls.
Meanwhile, the constituency is also seeing a tussle to garner votes of the Christian community. As per unofficial data sourced from the parties, there are around 15,000 to 17,000 voters in the constituency.
Both Randhawas have organised big gatherings of the Christian community. A day after Sukhjinder Randhawa held a meeting with the Christian community at Kalanaur, AAP’s Randhawa also organised an event on Sunday at Thetharke village in the presence of the cabinet minister Harbhajan Singh ETO. WITH INPUTS FROM PTI
