Maluka mollified, to fight polls from Rampura Phul
BATHINDA: Former Punjab minister Sikander Singh Maluka on Saturday finally gave in and agreed to contest from Rampura Phul assembly segment after Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Sukhbir Singh Badal turned down the demand to field his son Gurpreet Maluka from there.
Sukhbir met the Malukas at his Chandigarh residence over lunch. To placate the sulking two-time MLA, Sukhbir appointed Gurpreet, a former Bathinda zila parishad chairperson, as the SAD general secretary.
Reposes faith in Sukhbir’s leadership After the meeting, Maluka reposed full faith in Sukhbir’s leadership and added that the party is united.
“Maluka sa’ab agreed to the decision (of ticket allocation) of the party. I have urged them to make a collective effort on all (six) seats of Bathinda district,” said the SAD chief.
Maluka contested on five occasions from Rampura and won only twice, in 1997 and 2012. He remained cabinet minister both times.
Maluka, once a blue-eyed aide of SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, had been in dissent mode after the party on Sunday announced his candidature from his traditional seat of Rampura Phul. Maluka was keen to contest from Maur and wanted the Rampura Phul seat for Gurpreet.
Jagmeet Brar to contest as SAD nominee from Maur Jagmeet Brar has been declared as the SAD candidate from Maur.
As Brar’s candidature from Maur was expected, last week Maluka had demanded the party to desist from fielding him and advised it to take feedback from the party workers on winnability chances of him (Maluka) and Brar.
Maluka had gone to the extent of saying that the unannounced norm of ‘one-familyone ticket’ was selectively thrusted upon the Maluka family to adjust an outsider.
Political analysts said it’s surprising how Maluka, once a powerful Akali leader in Malwa, was cornered. “He was calling the shots in the SAD and was an aide of Parkash Singh Badal. It evoked much political interest the manner in which his candidature was announced last Sunday against his wishes and then the nomination of Brar, a party-hopper, was announced. Maluka had to take back his resolution made in the public last week that only Gurpreet would contest from Rampura Phul. It shows the new political strategy of the Badals in their traditional electoral bastion of Bathinda,” says a political analyst.