State may witness prolonged poll season

The by-polls will be one of the most keenly-contested electoral fights since these will witness Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal jumping in the assembly election fray for the first time. The three assembly seats that are likely to see by-election this year will be Nurmahal,Majitha (in case former minister Bikram Majithia finally quits his seat as offered by him) and Banur. Besides,the Congress has preferred to field two of its sitting MLAs,Partap Bajwa and O P Soni from Amritsar,for parliamentary elections. While the poll outcome on these two seats is anybody’s guess,in case the two win,the process for by-election will be set in motion.

Banur assembly seat,represented by late Capt Kanwaljit Singh,a stronghold of the Akalis,may see his son Jasjit Singh Bunny contesting on the SAD ticket.

Then we have Akali nominee and MLA Sher Singh Ghubaya contesting from Ferozepur. Assuming that he too wins the seat,another by-election will be held.

But what will hog the limelight is the seat from where Sukhbir decides to contest. The last thing the Akalis will want to have is a baggage of a “below-the-mark” performance in the elections. The Deputy CM has attempted to stem the anti-incumbency factor by doing away with some of its sitting MPs. It also offered a queer mix of candidates– three,including his wife,are first timers,and one is a folk singer,Hansraj Hans.

Earlier,the Congress was in two minds whether or not to go with sitting legislators. The rationale was that winning back two assembly seats,and that too in a state where the Congress is in the Opposition,will not be easy.

But then doing with two seats in the state Assembly,which would have been inconsequential,in case of a win in the parliamentary elections was a calculated risk the party preferred.