Royal challenge to Akali might
Captain Amarinder Singh, scion of the Patiala royal family and the Congress nominee, is posing a challenge to the ruling Akalis from Patiala, a seat he resigned following Operation Blue Star in 1984.
It is almost a direct fight with sitting MP Akali Dal (Badal) candidate Prem Singh Chandumajra. Amarinder Singh has also locked horns with Shiromani Gurdwara Parabandhak Committee chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra, with whom he has had differences over the issue of Sikh leadership in this area.
Besides the captain and Chandumajra, there are 12 aspirants in the fray in this constituency, which include Patiala city, the capital of the erstwhile state and the Rajpura industrial hub in the district.
Amarinder Singh's campaign got a boost after his huge rallies were attended by film star-turned-politician Sunil Dutt, former Union ministers Rajesh Pilot and Dr Manmohan Singh.
Chandumajra has the backing of the well-oiled campaign machinery of the Bharatiya Janata Party; the captain, meanwhile, has been actively supported by the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Communist Party of India.
Tohra has taken over campaigning for Chandumajra in the absence of state Finance Minister Captain Kanwaljit Singh who is looking after the election campaign of Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral in Jalandhar.
Political observers say Amarinder Singh is expected to do well in Ghanaur, Lehragaga, Patiala city and Shatrana assembly segments while Banur Dakala and Sunam may favour Chandumajra.
The Left parties have pockets of influence in Lehragaga, Rajpura and Shatrana where their candidates were elected in previous Vidhan Sabha elections.
In the 1996 general election, Communist Party of India candidate Harpal Singh polled 36,027 votes though he had no support from the Communist Party of India-Marxist.
The BSP has a big following in Banur, Dakala, Ghanaur and Shatrana. During the last Lok Sabha election, the BSP backed the Shiromani Akali Dal, and its workers played an important role in the defeat of Congress candidate Sant Ram Singla.
However, now the BSP has now forged an alliance with the Congress and its workers have been helping out Amarinder Singh in the rural areas.
UNI
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