Two women in the fray for third time from same party

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Kapurthala, Feb 7: Two women from this district in Punjab are contesting their third consecutive election from the same party.

Both Dr Upinderjit Kaur and Bibi Jagir Kaur were teachers prior to joining politics.

Former minister Dr Upinderjit Kaur, daughter of Akali stalwart late Atma Singh is contesting on the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ticket from Sultanpur Lodhi constituency.

Former Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandik Committee (SGPC) chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, the high profile 'Bibi' of the Akalis, who has remained dogged in controversies and has five FIR's registered against her, is contesting on the SAD ticket from Bholath constituency. Her assets declared at the time of filing nominations are worth about Rs 90 crore.

Dr Upinderjit Kaur, a PhD was a university lecturer and was almost forced into politics to continue with the legacy of her family. However the Bibi, who runs a religious 'dera' in Begowal village has politics running in her veins and the first plunge she took was in the early 1990s when she joined hands with former MP Simranjit Singh Mann who now heads the Akali Dal (Amritsar).

Parting ways with Mr Mann, the Bibi joined hands with SAD chief Prakash Singh Badal and was rewarded with a ticket from the Bholath constituency, which has a sizeable Lubana Sikh population. She belongs to the Lubana community and over the years the community has stood united behind the Bibi.

Perhaps another reason for picking Bibi was that the well known Akali leader of Bholath, Sukhjinder Singh, a former minister was not in the good books of Mr Badal. Incidentally, the Bibi's Congress rival in the last two elections was Sukhpal Singh Khaira, son of Mr Sukhjinder Singh.

Mr Khaira who lost the last two polls is again in the field trying hard to prevent the Bibi from scoring a hatrick.

Dr Upinderjit Kaur is also on a hatrick, having won the last two elections. In 1997 when the SAD-BJP formed the government, she alongwith the Bibi were given ministerial berths. However, while the Dr Upinderjit remained content with doing her job in her ministry, the Bibi being a member of the SGPC had her eyes on the top post of the religious body. In 1999, the then SGPC chief and Akali stalwart, the late Gurcharan Singh Tohra, fell out with Mr Badal, and the SAD chief handpicked the Bibi to succeed Mr Tohra.

Even as head of the SGPC, the Bibi remained dogged in controversies and after a one and half year term, she made way for the old Akali warhorse, Jagdev Singh Talwandi. She was even implicated in the murder of her elder daughter Harpreet Kaur, a case for which she is being tried in a CBI court.

Veteran Akali leaders of the Doaba belt, did not take too kindly to the importance that Mr Badal gave to the Bibi. Besides Sukhjinder Singh, another senior Akali leader Kuldip Singh Wadala, who was close to Mr Badal, left the party to form his own separate faction. Mr Wadala has, however, returned and is now contesting his traditional Nakodar seat on the SAD ticket.

The Bibi who is still an SGPC member does not see eye-to-eye with her rival Congress rival Sukhpal. As in the last two polls, this time too they are making personal attacks against each other. Sukhpal minces no words in attacking the Bibi and reminding the voters that she is facing trial in a murder case pertaining to her daughter. The Bibi is not the one to be left far behind and she refers to the Nithari killings and reminds the electorate that the Congress candidate is the relative of Moninder Singh Pandher, the prime accused in the case.

While the campaign in Bholath is high profile, it is quite the opposite in Sultanpur Lodhi, with Dr Upinderjit Kaur not indulging in any personal attacks against her Congress rival, Navtej Singh.

Both the candidates respect each other in this segment.

One thing is certain, if the SAD-BJP comes to power in the state and the two women win the elections, they would definetely get Cabinet berths. However, if the Congress comes to power and the Party candidates, Sukhpal and Navtej win, they may not be made ministers.

UNI

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