With an aim to revive the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the political landscape of Malwa in Punjab, party president Sukhbir Singh Badal held a series of meetings with people in villages of Gidderbaha constituency for two days. During the meetings, Sukhbir touched the people in an emotional manner and emphasised the goodwill and legacy of his late father (former chief minister) Parkash Singh Badal.
He reminded people of their connection with his father. He also asked people to bring their old pictures with his father and said he is building a museum on the life of Parkash Singh Badal.
Although the Election Commission has not yet announced the schedule for the by-election in Punjab, Sukhbir has officially launched his party’s campaign in Gidderbaha.
“Badal Sahib (Parkash Singh Badal) spent his life with his people. He considered you as his family. I am only here to talk to the people who worked with him. A win in Gidderbaha by-election would be a repeat of history. In 1995, after winning Gidderbaha by-election, SAD formed the government in 1997,” Sukhbir said.
Sunday was the second consecutive day that Sukhbir met villages in the constituency. On Saturday, he held 16 meetings in two villages and on Sunday, 14 meetings in eight villages. Of these, 11 meetings were held in Kaoni village, the birthplace of Congress leader Narinder Singh Kaoni. Sukhbir was accompanied by Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon, who is likely to be the party’s candidate. During the meetings, Sukhbir urged people to support Dhillon in the constituency.
He also held meetings with the old loyalists who had worked with his father. He also recalled the development projects and achievements during the tenure of the SAD government.
A senior SAD politician said Sukhbir would focus more on the Gidderbaha section. “A two-day meeting was planned. The further plans for by-elections will be made after the Rakhar Punia rally in Baba Bakala and another in Longowal on the death anniversary of former SAD president Harchand Singh Longowal,” the politician said.
There is speculation that Sukhbir might contest the by-election, but party vice-president Daljit Singh Cheema clarified that he is holding the meetings in his capacity as party chief. “There is no final decision on the candidature yet. Gidderbaha is in his home district and the constituency is very close to the Badal family as Badal (Parkash Singh Badal) has won five consecutive elections from here. He will soon hold meetings in other constituencies as well,” he added.
Former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal won this constituency from 1969 to 1985 and later shifted to Lambi constituency. Later, Sukhbir’s cousin Manpreet Singh Badal contested his first election (by-election) from Gidderbaha in 1995 and won the Vidhan Sabha elections in 1997, 2002 and 2007. He was expelled from the SAD in 2010 and formed his own People’s Party of Punjab (PPP), but lost it in 2012. Since then, the seat has been won three times in a row by Congress leader Amarinder Singh Raja Warring.
In the 2022 state assembly elections, Warring won by a narrow margin of 1,355 votes over Dimpy Dhillon of the SAD. Warring resigned from the seat after being elected MP for Ludhiana in June.
Warring has also been holding meetings in the Gidderbaha constituency for the past three days. His wife Amrita Warring also held meetings in the constituency for the second consecutive day on Sunday. Warring is said to have been seeking Congress candidature for his wife in the Gidderbaha by-election, people familiar with the development say. Kaoni is a close confidant of Raja Warring.
