Punjab: Patiala gearing up for heated electoral battle

A heated electoral battle is on the cards in Patiala with two ex-servicemen facing each other.

Patiala, Jan 30: A bunch of trusted foot soldiers are working overtime to ensure victory of Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh and his political opponent and SAD candidate Gen (Retd) J J Singh in the upcoming polls in Punjab's Patiala assembly seat.

Amarinder's MLA-wife Preneet Kaur is leading the campaign in Patiala along with her daughter Jaya Inder Kaur and grand daughter Seher Inder Kaur, besides other trusted lieutenants. Her son Raninder Singh is camping in Lambi, the constituency where his father is contesting against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Gen (Retd) JJ Singh is moving out in the poll field with his wife Anupama Kaur, fashion designer-daughter Urvashi, and son Vivek Pal Singh, who is a councillor in Normandy in France, and his loyal band of Maratha soldiers. A few retired soldiers who served with him are also campaigning for their former boss. Among the soldiers donning batches earned by them during their service are Hawaldar M G Shethi, Naik Gyan Dev and Naik Sada Shiv Jagtap, all retired who once worked under J J Singh during his service as an officer.

"If our saab (Gen J J Singh) decides to contest from Kolhapur in Maharashtra there will be no opposition," says Shethi.

"I came to know that my saab is fighting poll battle from Patiala through news and immediately along with other Marathas dashed to this place," they say, adding "we will ensure our saab wins".

"I am loved by soldiers and retired Army personnel," Gen Singh says, adding even during his tenure as Arunachal Pradesh Governor he was famous as 'people's governor'. The trusted foot soldiers are acting as force multipliers for campaigns of J J Singh and Amarinder.

PTI