Facing difficulty in retaining Dakha, AAP banks on Mann

LUDHIANA: Finding it hard to find a replacement for former Aam Aadmi party (AAP) MLA HS Phoolka in Dakha constituency, AAP is banking on its state president and Sangrur member of Parliament (MP), Bhagwant Mann.

Mann campaigned in villages of Dakha constituency on Wednesday and visited it twice in the last four days. It is expected that he will campaign there on Thursday, too. Mann has been pulling crowds in villages with his comic accent as he slams Opposition parties.

After Phoolka’s resignation, AAP has not been able to retain its ground in Dakha constituency. While Phoolka had got 58,923 votes in 2017 Vidhan Sabha elections , the numbers dropped drastically for AAP in Lok Sabha elections this year. The AAP candidate for Lok Sabha elections, Tejpal Singh Gill, a new face, received only 2,285 votes from Dakha assembly segment.

This time, the AAP has fielded Aman Mohi, again a new face, as its candidate from Dakha, while Congress has fielded former political secretary to CM, Capt Sandeep Singh Sandhu, and SAD has chosen former MLA, Manpreet Ayali. The Lok Insaaf party has fielded Sukhdev Chak, who has occupied different positions including member of zila parishad. Chak was once a close aide of Ayali.

Aman Mohi, however, has claimed that he has a strong connection with the constituency as he is a resident of village Mohi situated in Dakha assembly segment. Mohi said that he has been attached with the party since 2013 and the fact that party has shown its confidence in a volunteer, has pumped in confidence in party workers.

AFTER PHOOLKA’S RESIGNATION, AAP HAS BEEN UNABLE TO RETAIN GROUND IN SEGMENT

MANN WOOS VOTERS IN SEGMENT

Slamming traditional parties for deteriorating economic status of farmers, Mann said AAP has decided to give benefits of Swaminathan report to farmers to enable them to sell their produce at higher price. The Swaminathan report can be implemented by the union government but they have failed to do so till this time.

He said the Delhi government is working to give benefits equivalent to the Swaminathan report to the farmers, and if the voters chose AAP in Punjab, the party would do the same for the state, too.

The Sangrur MP continuously lambasted the Opposition parties while campaigning in several villages of the Dakha constituency on Wednesday.