Father's campaign hard for sons

Mohali, Feb 6 (UNI) Three fathers in Punjab are working overnight not only to ensure their own victory but also of their sons in the assembly elections in Punjab.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) senior leader and former minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh who is seeking re-election from the Banur constituency is striving hard to ensure the victory of his sibling Jasjit Singh from Kharar. Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief and former MP Simranjit Singh Mann who is contesting from Dhanaula is equally concerned about his son Imman Singh who is contesting from Sirhind.

The third father-son duo in the field is former minister Chaudhry Swarna Ram of the BJP who is in the fray from Phagwara (reserve) and Chaudhry Mohan Lal who is the SAD candidate from the neighbouring Banga (reserve) segment. This is the third consecutive election for the two.

Both the junior and senior Chaudhury made their maiden entry into the state Vidhan Sabha in 1997, but both lost in 2002. As both father and son are experienced hands in politics, they spend more time in theie respective constituencies.

However at times the senior Chaudhury moves over to the Banga constituency to woo the BJP voters for his son. The junior Chaudhury is not the one to be left behind and finding time off from his busy schedule, he campaigns for his father in the villages in the Phagwara segment and reminds the traditional Akali voters the BJP is an electoral ally of SAD and they must vote for his father.

Unlike the Chaudhury's, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, who is seeking a fourth term in the Vidhan Sabha, is more concerned about ensuring the victory of his son Jasjit, who is making his maiden entry into politics. Capt Sahib, as he is called moves from his own constituency Banur to the neighbouring segment of Kharar seeking votes for his son.

As the boundaries of both the constituencies touch each other, at times Capt Sahib does not know whether he is in his own assembly segment or in that of his son. The campaign managers have to often remind Capt Sahib that he is now in his own constituency and not that of his son.

Like Capt Sahib, Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann who is involved in a tough triangular contest from Dhanaula is making regular forays into his son Imman Singh's constituency, Sirhind. While Mr Mann has been an MP from Sangrur, his son had lost the last assembly elections from Sirhind.

UNI