Alienated MLAs may affect Congress

JALANDHAR/PHILLAUR: The absence ofchief minister Amarinder Singh during the filing of nomination papers by SantoshChoudhry, the poor turnout at Phagwara from where she launched her nominationmarch, the past trend of winning and losing and personal differences with herparty MLAs are factors that have already cast a shadow on the prospects of theCongress candidate for the Phillaur seat.Two of the assemblysegments of Phillaur being Akali Dal strongholds, which look impenetrable at themoment, the Congress is left with seven, out of which three have not so farrallied behind the official candidate. Bholath and Sri Hargobindpur, which fallsin Gurdaspur district, are controlled by Bibi Jagir Kaur and Capt BS Bathrespectively.The antiincumbency mood is another factor to reckonwith. Phagwara MLA Joginder Singh Mann may be absent from the campaigning as heis said to be leaving for Jallaur in Rajasthan where his uncle Buta Singh isfighting on a Congress ticket.Adampur MLA Kanwaljit Singh Lally isalso unhappy with Santosh, said sources. She did not find the people cooperativewhen she tried opening an office in Kathor village which falls underAdampur.Also, it is pointed outthat the distribution of funds by her in the Bholath segment led to a quarrelwith the party leader from there, Sukhpal Singh Khaira. Then Parkash SinghSaini, the Nawanshahr MLA, is also a reluctant campaigner as he is a relative ofCharanjit Singh Channi, the rebel Congressman who is contesting on a BSP ticketfrom Hoshiarpur. Channi is likely to damage the Congress vote bank in Phillauras he wields enormous clout in this clannishcommunity.Interestingly, with one exception the Phillaur seat has inthe last two-and-a-half decades has not repeated its MPs. The exception wasChoudhary Sunder Singh who won during the Congress wave in 1980 and later in1985 when there was hardly any significant opposition.In 1977 BhagatRam of CPM riding a post-Emergency wave defeated Congressman Gurcharan Das. Thencame Sunder Singh’s victory ousting Bhagat Ram in 1985 — the onlyrepeat win by the same leader. In 1989 Harbhajan Lakha of BSP became MP. In 1992Lakha lost to Santosh Choudhry and in 1996 it was her turn to be defeated byLakha. In 1998 Satnam Singh Kainth won and in 1999 he won beatingKainth.This time the contest is three-cornered with BSP’sPawan Teenu and Akali Dal’s Charanjit Singh Atwal leading united attacks,a united BSP and a united Akali Dal.