Chandigarh, March 8 (DNS)- The 14th Vidhan Sabha will be an unusual conglomeration of major political families. A few families have not let go any opportunity to get either into Parliament or the state legislature or both, indicating the growing dynastic tendency in the body polity.
While seven families will be represented both in the Legislative Assembly and Parliament, four others just missed the bus. The Five MP-MLA couples from Punjab are Sukhbir Badal and Harsimrat, Justice Nirmal Singh (retd) and Paramjit Kaur Gulshan (both SAD), Navjot Kaur Sidhu and Navjot Singh Sidhu (BJP), Amarinder Singh and Preneet Kaur and Charanjit Kaur Bajwa and Partap Singh Bajwa (both Cong).
Former Punjab Congress chief Mohinder Singh KP and Santosh Chaudhary, however, just missed joining this select band as their spouses Kusum and Ram Lubhaya were defeated at the hustings.
SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal with his wife and MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal at Badal village on Wendesday. A Tribune photograph Two new members in the Vidhan Sabha - Amarpal Singh Bonny and Parminder Singh Dhindsa - have their fathers in Parliament. They are Rattan Singh Ajnala and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa.
Dilraj Singh Bhunder , son of Rajya Sabha member Balwinder Singh Bhunder, and Raninder Singh , son of Lok Sabha member Preneet Kaur, lost also lost the electoral battle.
Normally, senior members of the state legislature graduate to the national legislature, Parliament. In case of Punjab, it appears to be the other way round. Chief Minister Parkash Singh ... Read Full Story
Chandigarh, February 4 (DNS)- Swapping of two seats each between the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and its alliance partner Bhartiya Janata party (BJP) is unlikely to give the desired result for which the leadership of both the parties had undertaken the exercise. The decision to deny seats to sitting legislators from four assembly segments and swapping the same was taken with a view to securing these seats for the alliance.
But the contest on all the four seats, namely Ludhiana (West), Amritsar (East), Garhshankar and Batala, has been far from satisfactory for the alliance. The Ludhiana and Amritsar seats have been contested by the BJP, while the Garhshankar and Batala seats were contested by the SAD. Though the senior leadership in both the parties are unwilling to make any "on-the-record" statement, in private they say that the decision did not go well.
The BJP has almost given up hope of winning the Ludhiana (West) seat that fell vacant after the resignation of SAD legislators Harish Rai Dhanda after the government cleared his name for appointment as chairman of the Punjab Public Service Commission. It is a different matter that the move did not materialise.
The Ludhiana (West) seat was then taken back by the BJP for fielding its former state president Rajinder Bhandari. Party sources say that the seat is likely to be won by Congress nominee Bharat Bhushan Ashu. DP Maur, president, PAU Employees Union, also contested this seat on the PPP ticket.
The other seat taken by the BJP from the SAD was Amritsar ... Read Full Story
Mohali, January 28 (DNS)- People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) president Manpreet Singh Badal today sought vote to bring change and wipe out corruption, nepotism and officialdom from the state. Addressing a gathering in Phase 8 here, he said, “No significant change has come in people’s life and the time has come to vote to bring change.” Reiterating the political development that led to his resignation from the SAD, he said he had sacrificed his position and honour for the sake of moral values and principles. “The time has come to provide education, infrastructure, health and medical facilities to the residents,” he said adding that the Congress and Akali Dal had ruined the state.
Speaking in favour of party candidate from Mohali assembly segment, Bir Devinder Singh, the PPP chief said that the political scenario of Punjab was going to change. He said 97 per cent of the candidates were first timers and educated. Claiming to have a large vote bank among youths, he said the party would fare much better than previously ... Read Full Story
Moga, January 19 (Doaba News Service)- Inclement weather has forced cancellation of Congress President Sonia Gandhi's scheduled rallies at Moga and Kapurthala on Thursday in the run up to the elections to the 117-member state Assembly on January 30. Sonia was to kick-start her party's election campaign from the Moga rally on Thursday.
"Both the rallies - Moga followed by Kapurthala - stand cancelled due to bad weather," a Congress spokesman told Media.
Top Punjab Congress leaders, including state party chief Amarinder Singh and party's political affairs in-charge Gulchain Singh Charak, were among others who were expected to attend the rally. It was to be the first big political rally in the state.
On a whirlwind tour, Sonia was to address two rallies one each at Malwa and other at Kapurthala in Doaba region of the state. Dense fog, which had been blinding the state for the past few days, played a spoilsport for the Congressmen in the state.
The spokesman said that Sonia's new programme will be announced ... Read Full Story
