MLA report cards:Parminder Singh Pinki and Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi
Hindustan Times takes a look at Punjab MLAs and their performance:
Parminder Singh Pinki, 57, Congress
Constituency: Ferozepur city
Education: Graduate
Assets declared in last polls: Rs 4.38 cr
Electoral record
2012: Defeated Sukhpal Nannu (BJP) by 21,763 votes; Cong won here after 20 yrs
2007: Didn’t contest; Cong nominee BM Sharma lost to BJP’s Sukhpal Nannu
Assembly record
Questions asked: 20
Call attention moved: 0
Power punch Connected to party high command; got ticket despite opposition
What next Likely to get Congress ticket again
How he performed
He managed to get funds from various members of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) of the Congress party for development works. He got installed open gyms in public parks, installed solar lights in various areas, especially slum colonies, arranged benches for students of government schools in border areas. He claimed to have got approved four-laning of Ferozepur-Hussainiwala road, super-specialty eye hospital and a government college at the fag-end of second stint of the UPA government at the Centre. He remained vocal against the SAD-BJP government for not allowing the start of 100-bedded satellite centre of PGIMER approved by UPA in 2014. He also arranged grants for leprosy homes, homes for visually challenged and orphanages..
Voter speak
He remained accessible to public by and large and kept on raising voice for our issues. He also managed to rope in funds to facilitate development projects.
Gurinder Pal Kaur, 53, housewife
He raised issues of the town but being in opposition, state authorities did not pay heed to his demands. There is shortage of specialists at newly constructed eye hospital.
Munish Punj, 37, businessman.
By the way
Donates cash on the move on the street
Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, 61, Congress
Constituency: Guru Har Sahai
Education: Class 12
Assets declared in last polls: Rs 5 cr
Electoral record
2012: Defeated SAD’s Vardev Singh Mann by a margin of 3,249 votes
2007: Defeated SAD candidate Paramjit Singh by 18,750 votes
Assembly record
Questions asked: 36
Call attention moved: 0
Power punch Close to Amarinder; also has ties in other parties
What next No big fight for ticket; likely to get it again
How he performed
Being in the opposition, his constituency failed to secure any major project in the last 10 years of Akali-BJP rule. He got some funds released from Congress Rajya Sabha MPs to introduce ambulance service. He still enjoys a good rapport among the Rai Sikh community for his role in getting them Scheduled Caste status during the Captain Amarinder Singh regime (2002-07). He exploited his personal contacts within the bureaucracy to help the electorate of his constituency. He or his son Anumeet Hira Sodhi kept themselves at the beck and call of the voters. However, a section of voters and some Congress workers are not happy over the fact that the MLA didn’t protest when they were being harassed by the police for political reasons.
Voter speak
By and large, he was accessible in the last five years, but he being in the opposition proved costly for the people as the segment remained ignored all these years.
Sat Narain, 51, lawyer.
Guru Har Sahai was deprived of development during the last 10 years. However, the MLA stood by the electorate in the thick and thin all these years.
Didar Singh, 53, farmer.
By the way
Flamboyant, he has dabbled in Punjabi films.
Tomorrow: Jalalabad, Fazilka, Malout, Muktsar