AMRITSAR: Congress senior leader and member of Parliament (MP) Jasbir Singh Dimpa’s rebellion may play a spoilsport for the party in some assembly seats falling in the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency that spreads in four districts —Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Kapurthala and Ferozpur.
Dimpa’s family will campaign for Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidates in the nine assembly segments — Baba Bakala, Jandiala (Amritsar district), Tarn Taran, Khadoor Sahib, Patti and Patti (Tarn Taran district), Kapurthala and Sultanpur Lodhi (Kapurthala district) and Zira (Ferozepur district) — besides supporting the party on other seats in the Majha region. The family has a considerable influence in his home constituency Baba Bakala, Khadoor Sahib and Jandiala Guru.
“We will support the Akali Dal. Besides campaigning in the nine assembly segments of the Khadoor Sahib Parliamentary seat, we will also support SAD candidates in other constituencies,” said Dimpa’s brother Harpinder Singh, aka Rajan Gill, who joined the SAD in presence of its party president Sukhbir Singh Badal in Amritsar on Wednesday.
On being asked if Dimpa will also campaign for the SAD, Rajan said: “It doesn’t make a difference. We are a family. I joined the SAD with the consent of my brother (Dimpa).”
{{/usCountry}}On being asked if Dimpa will also campaign for the SAD, Rajan said: “It doesn’t make a difference. We are a family. I joined the SAD with the consent of my brother (Dimpa).”
{{/usCountry}}Dimpa didn’t respond to repeated calls. On Tuesday night, he appealed to his supporters to vote for honest candidates, irrespective of the party. “We should vote for honest candidates irrespective of the parties (sic),” Dimpa tweeted on Tuesday.
Dimpa won the Khadoor Sahib Parliamentary seat by defeating the SAD’s senior leader and former minister Bibi Jagir Kaur with a huge margin of 1.4 lakh votes in the 2019 general elections. After winning the election, Dimpa remained active in almost all the nine assembly constituencies of his constituency.
A senior Congress leader, who didn’t wish to be named, said: “Dimpa has a considerable hold in the nine assembly segments. His rebellion can cause damage to the Congress, particularly in four assembly segments—Baba Bakala, Jandiala Guru, Khadoor Sahib and Tarn Taran.”
Baba Bakala is Dimpa’s home turf from where he served as an MLA while from the Jandiala Guru seat, his close aide Satinderjit Singh Chajjalwadi is contesting the election on the SAD’s ticket. In the Khadoor Sahib assembly seat, Dimpa along with his son Updesh Gill had been campaigning for the last few months.
Dimpa was upset after the Congress gave tickets Santokh Singh Bhalaipur from Baba Bakala and Ramanjit Singh Sikki from Khadoor Sahib. Dimpa had been lobbying for the party ticket to Chajjalwadi from Baba Bakala seat and his son Updesh Gill from Khadoor Sahib.
Earlier, Dimpa had levelled allegations of corruption while distributing the tickets against his own party. “What should be done if your party ignores hard work, loyalty and honesty & prefers stacks (sis),” Dimpa had tweeted.
However, Congress’ Tarn Taran MLA Dharambir Agnihotri said: “It will not make any difference here. Only those who have family relations with Dimpa will vote for the SAD. People are connected with the Congress and have faith in it.”