Post Congress defeat, new dynamics in Gurdaspur

Gurdaspur

After the defeat of sitting MP Sunil Jakhar, the political dynamics for the ruling party in the Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency have altered to the extent where a once dominant minister has now been relegated to the sidelines while, at the same time, two of her colleagues have become powerful keeping in view their performance in their respective Assembly seats.

Dinanagar MLA Aruna Chaudhury has been stripped of the transport portfolio which, in turn, has been given to Razia Sultana who ensured a lead of 13,000 votes from her seat of Malerkotla for Kewal Dhillon, the party candidate from the Sangrur constituency. Chaudhury has been left with the politically insignificant departments of Social Security, Women and Child Development.

With Chaudhury ‘downsized’, her ministerial colleagues Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa have become politically more influential than ever before.

Despite a strong wave in favour of BJP candidate Sunny Deol, Randhawa notched up a lead of 18,700 votes from his Dera Baba Nanak seat while Bajwa secured a 20,800-votes advantage from the Fatehgarh Churian segment. The talk in political circles is that Bajwa’s performance is all the more noteworthy because he had a powerful youth SAD leader, Ravi Karan Kahlon, to contend with.

The crowd of supporters at Randhawa’s residence at Dharowali village in Dera Baba Nanak and Bajwa’s house in Qadian is a fair indicator of how authoritative they have become. On the other hand, the queue of supporters at Chaudhury’s residence is thinning out with every passing day.

Officials, too, are clandestinely making a pitch for these two politicians to ensure they are given plum postings in the civil or police departments.

Randhawa, in fact, is a favourite among police officers of both Batala and Gurdaspur police districts. Two police stations of his seat fall in Gurdaspur while three fall within the limits of the Batala police.

“He has a stake in both these police districts. Reason enough why all senior officers are posted at Randhawa’s behest,” said a former SSP.

Both these leaders steadfastly stood behind Capt Amarinder Singh when he was replaced by Partap Singh Bajwa as the PPCC chief in March 2013. Later, after a long drawn-out battle, they ensured that Amarinder was reappointed as Punjab Congress president in December 2015.

Staunch Amarinder loyalists

Both Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa steadfastly stood behind Capt Amarinder Singh when he was replaced by Partap Singh Bajwa as the PPCC chief in March 2013. Later, after a long drawn-out battle, they ensured that Amarinder was reappointed as Punjab Congress president in December 2015