With the poll battle in Bathinda parliamentary constituency set to witness a clash between Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Manpreet Singh Badal, a marriage ceremony here, on Sunday, proved a rallying point for leaders of both SAD and Sanjha Morcha.
Both SAD MP and party candidate from Bathinda parliamentary constituency Harsimrat Kaur Badal and chairman of Sanjha Morcha and PPP president Manpreet Singh Badal, along with other party leaders, attended the marriage function of Manpreet Singh Arshi, son of former CPI MLA Hardev Singh Arshi.
Besides, education minister Sikandar Singh Maluka, CPS Sarup Chand Singla and speaker, Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Charanjit Singh Atwal also made their presence felt at the function.
Congress leaders, including Malwa zone in-charge Gurpreet Singh Kangar and former MLA Harmandir Singh Jassi, staking a claim to Congress ticket from Bathinda constituency also showed himself up at the party. National secretary of CPI, one of Sanjha Morcha constituents, Shamim Faizi, and national executive member Joginder Dayal too attended the marriage party. Faizi said that though the aim of CPI was to strengthen a non-Congress and non-BJP alternative, but the situation might vary from state to state depending up on the political situation in the states.
Sources revealed that, irked over the decision by PPP to form an alliance with Congress, the state CPI leadership has announced to contest three parliamentary constituencies including Ferozepur, Faridkot and Amritsar, the final announcement in this regard is yet to be made by the central leadership of the party. "A meeting of CPI central secretariat scheduled on Monday in Delhi will discuss the matter. Punjab CPI leadership is expected to apprise the central leadership of the political scenario emerging in the state," sources disclosed.
{{/usCountry}}Sources revealed that, irked over the decision by PPP to form an alliance with Congress, the state CPI leadership has announced to contest three parliamentary constituencies including Ferozepur, Faridkot and Amritsar, the final announcement in this regard is yet to be made by the central leadership of the party. "A meeting of CPI central secretariat scheduled on Monday in Delhi will discuss the matter. Punjab CPI leadership is expected to apprise the central leadership of the political scenario emerging in the state," sources disclosed.
{{/usCountry}}"Also, a meeting of Punjab state secretariat of CPI has been fixed on Tuesday at Delhi to discuss the matter," revealed the sources. Observers felt that the marriage party was not merely a function for political leaders, but they took it as an opportunity to serve a political purpose ahead of elections.
Observers said while the PPP chief might have attempted to project that still there are chances of bringing CPI under the alliance, the SAD leadership took the opportunity to gauge the mood in the opposite camp.