Punjab elections: It’s all in the family in SAD & Congress

BATHINDA: Against the father-son duo in Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), it is mother-in-law-son-in-law in Congress, taking forward the generational advantage in politics.

If SAD has fielded former minister

Tota Singh

from Dharamkot assembly segment and his son Barjinder Singh from

Moga

assembly segment, the Congress has fielded former chief minister Rajinder Kaur

Bhattal

from Lehragaga in Sangrur and her son-in-law Bikram Singh Bajwa from Sahnewal assembly segment in Ludhiana district.

Another father-son duo —Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Badal — is in the field. Sukhbir will contest from Jalalabad and Badal senior from Lambi assembly segment. Extending the list in familial circuit, SAD’s Bikram Singh Majithia is in the fray from Amritsar East assembly segment and his wife Ganieve Kaur from Majitha assembly segment.

Badal has won 11 elections from 1957, while Sukhbir has contested and won three assembly elections from Jalalabad. Majithia has contested and won three consecutive elections in 2007, 2012 and 2017 from Majithja assembly segment. Her wife Ganieve Kaur is new to the political field and contesting her maiden election. Both Bhattal and

Tota

Singh are towering political figures in their respective parties. Bhattal has won six elections and lost four in her political career spanning over 50 years while Tota Singh has won three elections and lost two. Two of Bhattal’s brothers have remained MLAs at different times. Her son-in-law was also fielded from Sahnewal in 2012, but lost the election.

Bhattal started her career from Dhanaula (now disbanded) assembly segment in Barnala district in 1972 on Congress ticket and had lost to Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, who contested as independent candidate. She had lost in 1977 to Sampuran Singh of CPI (M). In 1980, she had won from Dhanaula.

In 1985, she had shifted to Lehragaga in Sangrur and lost to Capt Amarinder Singh’s maternal uncle Inderjit Singh Jaijee, who had contested on SAD ticket. From 1992, she won five consecutive elections from Lehragaga assembly seat but lost to Parminder Singh Dhindsa of SAD in 2017. Now, she will face Parminder contesting on SAD (Sanyukt) ticket. In between, her brother Manjit Singh Bhattal won from Dhanaula in 1992 and other brother Kuldeep Singh also from Dhanaula in 2007 assembly elections.

Tota Singh won from Moga assembly segment in 1997 and 2002 on SAD ticket. He lost in 2007 from Moga and thereafter shifted to Dharamkot assembly segment in Moga district. He won in 2012 from Dharamkot on SAD ticket and lost in 2017. His son Barjinder Singh was first given ticket from Moga in 2017 and was placed at third position. In 2017, both Tota Singh and Barjinder had lost from their seats and despite it both have been fielded again for 2022 assembly segments from Dharamkot and Moga seats, respectively.



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