After a long wait and nail-biting suspense, the SAD(B) announced the candidature of Harsimrat Badal for Bathinda parliamentary seat. The Congress has fielded Raninder Singh, son of former chief minister of Punjab Capt Amarinder Singh, from the seat.

The stage is now set for the most coveted battle between the two arch rival political families of Punjab that had been trading charges of vendetta politics against each other for the past two consecutive terms of the state Assembly.

Even as the announcement of the candidature of Harsimrat had been made a few days after the Congress declared Raninder as party candidate from Bathinda, both the contestants, who are first-timers, had kept their noses to the grind stone in the constituency.

While Harsimrat had been primarily focusing on women through her much-publicised Nanhi Chhan initiative, Raninder, strongly backed by the area MLAs, managed to pull crowd and promised them the moon.

“They (Badals) can’t think beyond the family. That is why they have fielded Harsimrat. Had she not been fielded, it would have been either Sukhbir’s mother Surinder Kaur Badal or Parkash Singh Badal himself. The Congress will win the seat,” said Raninder, while reacting to the announcement of Harsimrat’s candidature.

“The ruling government in Punjab has failed on every front and the people are disillusioned with Akalis and turning to the Congress,” Raninder claimed.

Harsimrat shot back, “How can Raninder say that we cannot think beyond our family when out of the total 13 Congress tickets in Punjab, two have been with Amarinder’s family members.

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