Amarinder faces stiff challenge from Akali opponent

Patiala, Feb 7: The Patiala Assembly seat in Punjab is one of the most important Assembly seats in the February 13 election as Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is seeking re-election from here on a Congress ticket.

While the Chief Minister, pitted against Surjit Singh Kohli of the SAD, is busy campaigning for his party candidates in other parts of the state, the task of garnering support for him has been taken up by his family members led by woman power -- his MP wife Preneet Kaur, daughter Jayinder Kaur and daughter-in-law Reshma.

Having won by a record margin last time against a weak SAD candidate Sarup Singh Sehgal in the 2002 elections, Capt Singh this time is facing a formidable challenge from rival Surjit Singh Kohli even though the SAD nominee is yet to get full support from the alliance partner BJP's local leaders.

The total number of candidates in the constituency is 18, highest in the state, including Dr Paramjit Singh of BSP, who had hit the headlines for his unique campaign of distributing milk to counter ''distribution of liquor by other contestants to woo voters.'' Despite a large number of contestants in the poll arena, the real challenge for the Chief Minister is posed by the SAD-BJP's candidate Kohli, a former minister, who is trying to strike a common chord with the electorate, emphasising, ''I am a commoner pitted against the royalty''.

Capt Singh, popularly known as ''Maharaja saheb'', is a scion of the erstwhile Patiala royal family and lives in the stately New Moti Bagh palace.

Kohli's spirited campaign among masses has definitely ensured that members of Singh's campaign team did not allow any letup in the campaign for this seat in his absence.

Even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has thrown his weight behind Capt Singh to boost his electoral prospects. Lavishing praise upon the government headed by Capt Singh, the Prime Minister complimented him for ''putting the state back on the rails of development.'' Pointing out that the Chief Minister had been able to attract about Rs one lakh crore investment to the state, Dr Singh said to make Punjab number one state of the nation once again, it was imperative to vote in the Congress to take forward the ''good work'' initiated by Capt Singh.

The electoral history of Patiala showed that it was a Congress stronghold and the party captured this seat four times in the last six Assembly elections.

In 1977 elections held soon after the Emergency era, SAD's candidate Sardara Singh Kohli had defeated Shambhu Parshad of Jansangh, who contested as Independent, by only 243 votes, where as Congress's Prem Chand Gupta trailed at third place. In 1980, Congress candidate Braham Mohindra captured the seat by defeating his nearest rival Shambhu Prasad of the BJP by over 7925 votes whereas SAD's Sardara Singh Kohli stood third.

After Rajiv Gandhi-Longowal accord, in 1985, Congress's Braham Mohindra retained the seat by defeating his nearest rival SAD's Sardara Singh Kohli by over 2153 votes whereas BJP's Nirmal Pandov was pushed to third place.

In 1992, SAD boycotted the elections and Mohindra again emerged victorious by defeating his nearest rival Krishan Kumar Sharma, a Rebal Congress leader, by 1472 votes whereas BJP's Nirmal Pandov was again placed third.

In 1997, the SAD and the BJP joined forces resulting in Congress stalwart Braham Mohindra's defeat by rival SAD-BJP's Surjit Singh Kohli by 12664 votes where as Congress rebal candidate Krishn Kumar Sharma stood third.

In 2002, Congress shifted Braham Mohindra to Samana and fielded Capt Singh, then PCC president. He defeated his nearest rival SAD-BJP's Sarup Singh Sehgal by 33583 votes whereas Congress rebal candidate Krishan Kumar Sharma stood third.

In the last polls, the Congress polled 46750 votes (74.45 per cent) while the SAD got 13167 votes (20.97 percent) here.

For the February 13 Assembly elections the total voters are 1,31,571 of which 68,141 are men while 63430 are women. The poll authorities have provided 116 polling stations at 48 locations.

UNI