Outsider Sandhu banks on Captain to swing fortunes

DAKHA (LUDHIANA): Contesting from an assembly segment that has not been a Congress stronghold as seen in the last three elections, Congress candidate captain Sandeep Singh Sandhu, a parachute candidate, is banking on close associate Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh as he campaigns in villages across Dakha.

The segment comprises a municipal council having 13 wards and 110 villages heavily populated by NRIs.

Without doubt, the bypolls to be held on October 21, promise to be a tough fight for Sandhu who faces competition from Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Manpreet Ayali and Lok Insaaf’s Party candidate Sukhdev Singh, who has been fielded by MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains.

In the Parliamentary elections held in Ma, Bains took the lead in Dakha with 44,938 votes followed by Congress leader Ravneet Singh Bittu who got 43,664 votes from this segment.

Sandhu, however, does not see Bains as a threat.

“Had Bains himself been contesting from Dakha, it would have been different. He has only fielded a candidate from his side. Residents of Dakha have always voted for a strong face. Which is why HS Phoolka won from here because they saw him as a future chief minister,” says Sandhu.

As he campaigns in village Changan, one cannot miss the repeated references Sandhu makes to the CM in his speech.

“I was comfortable working with the CM in Chandigarh. Why do you think I came here? he asks.

Punjab food and supply minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu did admit that the start of the campaign in Dakha was a bit tough as they faced resistance, but now, he claims it has been a smooth ride as Sandhu is visiting villages

In the 2012 Assembly polls, Congress’s Jassi Khangura had lost to SAD’s Manpreet Ayali by 16,388 votes. In 2014, Aam Aadmi Party candidate HS Phoolka took the lead in Dakha by securing 62,359 votes.

In the 2017 polls, Phoolka bagged 58,923 votes and was elected MLA.