Chandigarh: With the senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia fighting Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu in the latter’s home turf, the Amritsar (East) seat is being seen as the mother of all electoral battles in poll-bound Punjab.
Majithia who was fighting Sidhu in the latter’s seat beside his own Majitha (also in Amritsar district) had recently decided to leave that seat - to be now fought by his wife – after Sidhu dared him to fight only from Amritsar seat.
Sidhu, 58, who is three-time MP (twice to Parliament on BJP ticket and once to Rajya Sabha) had won the 2017 assembly elections from Amritsar (East) hands down on Congress ticket by mustering about 61% of the total votes polled.
Majithia, 46, who is the brother-in-law of former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal (Sukhbir’s wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal is Majithia’s sister), has no less sway in the area for he too is a three-time legislator from the nearby Majitha seat.
Firebrand leaders, Sidhu and Majithia are Jat Sikh and sworn enemies of each other. Sidhu was instrumental in getting Majithia in drugs case ahead of polls, the latter calls Sidhu "a fraud and cheat’’.
This registration of the drugs case by the Congress government has taken an already brewing animosity over the clash for supremacy in the Majha region (Amritsar and adjoining districts) to a flashpoint.
The SAD’s move to field Majithia against Sidhu has come as a shock for the latter who until then considered this seat as his pocket borough.
This high-adrenaline election also promises to have a greater impact beyond the seat in the wake of Sidhu pitching himself as the chief ministerial candidate. Also, Sidhu has more foes than he ever had.
Since he was instrumental in dislodging unceremoniously Capt Amarinder Singh from the post of chief minister last September, the latter who quitted Congress as well and floated his Punjab Lok Congress has repeatedly said he would ensure Sidhu was trounced. This is besides the supporters of Charanjit Singh Channi, the state’s first Dalit chief minister who see Sidhu as a challenge to Channi.
While to Sidhu’s relief the seat has a large number of Hindu and Dalit population in the constituency, a citadel of Congress since the past five polls, he has also sent a loud and clear message to the state by being vocal against Capt Amarinder Singh and Akalis on the issues of sacrilege and drugs.
In case Sidhu pulls through it would help him in his claim to the throne in case of Congress having the majority seats. Defeat, but, would severely damage his political standing.
In case of defeat, Majithia would embrace crippling embarrassment. A victory in the court of people would not only heighten his stature but also give a fillip to his claims that he was falsely implicated in the drug case.
While the SAD’s ties with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) may also help Majithia, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which finished poor third last election, has fielded its district president Jeevanjot Kaur this time. The BJP has fielded a Dalit Sikh, Dr Jagmohan Singh Raju, a former IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre.
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