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In battleground Patiala, Preneet fights hard to retain MP crown
Patiala constituency has traditionally been a Congress citadel, with the party nominee winning from here 12 times out of the 17 LS polls held to date since Independence.
Amid the backdrop of being the epicentre of farmers’ ferment 2.0, Patiala is all set to see a multi-cornered contest with Congress making all efforts to defend its citadel.
Sitting MP Preneet Kaur’s switch from the Congress to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was all but a certainty after her husband, former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, joined the saffron party. This skewed the poll calculations for the grand old party, but with the entry of Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, the Congress has upped its ante against the scion of the erstwhile Patiala royal family.
Patiala constituency has traditionally been a Congress citadel, with the party nominee winning from here 12 times out of the 17 LS polls held to date since Independence.
Erstwhile Patiala royal family has dominated the political landscape here, and the constituency has been represented by ex-CM’s family since 1998. Preneet has won this seat four times.
Dr Gandhi managed to defeat Preneet in the 2014 LS polls, but she won the next 2019 LS elections by a margin of 97,389 votes to reclaim the seat. The royal family clout in the constituency took a hit in the 2022 assembly polls, with AAP registering a sweeping win in all nine segments.
Aam Aadmi Party’s Dr Balbir Singh, Punjab’s health minister, who is a legislator from Patiala rural and Shiromani Akali Dal’s moneybag relator NK Sharma, a two-time legislator from Derabassi, has made the contest a high-stakes battle.
AAP’s candidate is banking on the state government’s initiatives in the health sector and other welfare schemes, while one of the two Hindu faces fielded by Akali Dal Sharma is fighting for the Lok Sabha elections for the first time.
Preneet facing several challenges
With her husband missing from her poll campaign so far, continuous protests from farmers, and having no BJP cadre in the rural areas, Preneet faces a tough challenge. Preneet is facing a tough time trying to make inroads into the rural areas where the largest chunk of electoral lives. Repeated farmers’ protests while campaigning have also severely hampered her efforts. Preneet is banking on Modi’s magic and work done by the Central government over the past 10 years.
Philanthropist doc banks on his clean image
Congress’ Gandhi is known for his social work. He defeated Preneet in 2014 and has a strong connection with the public due to his philanthropic activities and providing free healthcare to the needy and underprivileged. He has been running an NGO for the past 30 years. Gandhi was suspended from AAP after he questioned the party’s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s policies.
Gandhi seems to have adopted the Congress line and often refers to Rahul Gandhi in his address. He is facing resentment as a few of the local leaders are not happy with his selection as a candidate and have termed him a ‘turncoat’. He has the ability to connect with voters in rural and urban areas and has adopted a strategy of door-to-door campaigns and small gatherings.
AAP relies on govt’s welfare schemes
Dr Balbir has made the developmental work during the ruling party’s two-year tenure in the state, especially in the health sector, as his poll plank. AAP’s free electricity scheme, offering 300 units of free electricity every month, seemed to have worked well for the party to woo the voters, especially in semi-urban pockets of the constituency. Dr Balbir, who is the health and medical education minister, says political pandits, is also facing a palpable anti-incumbency.
SADs may spring a surprise
Sharma, who is known to have ascended from grassroots politics, is a two-time MLA from Derabassi. With his aggressive and extensive campaign and support of former cabinet minister Surjit Singh Rakhra and other senior party leaders, Sharma has already made his presence felt and spiced up a high-stakes battle. Sharma is reaching out to every segment of the electorate and has sessions to answer questions of young voters.
