The other Manpreet Badal, the Independent, elusive and mysterious as ever

IN THE 2014 Lok Sabha elections, a little known Manpreet Singh Badal, son of Gurdev Singh Badal, of village Badal shared media and EVM space with the better known Manpreet Singh Badal, this one a nephew of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and son of Gurdas Singh Badal, also of Badal village. The lesser known Manpreet was contesting as an independent from Bathinda.

His namesake was in the Congress and pitted in a high-voltage contest against his bhabhi, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, daughter-inlaw of Chief Minister Badal and wife of Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal. The other Manpreet was seen as a dummy candidate propped up by the ruling alliance to cut into the votes of his namesake.

In an election that was expected to be very keenly contested, Harsimrat eventually won by 19,395 votes and went on to become a Union minister. The independent Manpreet Badal, despite remaining missing during the entire campaign, managed to get 4,618 votes, often said to be due to the fact that his election symbol was a “kite”, which used to be the symbol of the People’s Party of Punjab (PPP), a party that the ruling family’s Manpreet Badal had launched before merging it with the Congress.

In April 2014, when The Indian Express visited the lesser known Manpreet’s small house in one of he bylanes of Badal village, none except a few of his neighbours had ever heard of him. Even his family claimed not to be aware of his whereabouts and why, despite a clear lack of resources, he was contesting the election. His cash, jewellery including his wife’s, and their home had been together worth Rs 7.40 lakh.

Three years later, The Indian Express visited his house again. While villagers said he was “somewhere around”, his wife said he was at work - he works as a security guard in a small business establishment in Chunna village, she claimed.

Which establishment? “Pata nahin. Kaddi dasde nahin. Tussi mobile kar lo (I don’t know. He never tells us. Why don’t you try his mobile phone),” she said before rushing back into the small house.

The mobile number that she shared turns out to be “switched off”. A couple of hours later, the mobile is switched on but Manpreet doesn’t take the call.

So, The Indian Express asked the wife what time he returns from work. Her response: “Kuch pata nahin. Bada kam haiga (I don’t know anything. He has a lot of work).”

To another question, this one about which party the family is supporting in Lambi assembly seat — the chief minister is pitted in a three-way contest with former Congress chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and AAP’S Jarnail Singh — she was vague: “Pata nahin. Oh hi dassange (Don’t know. Only he [her husband] knows).” She added that the family has little interest in the ongoing elections.

The house, incidentally, has a small SAD flag fluttering on one of the walls.

Sewa Singh, who lives in the same lane, knows Manpreet “very well”, letting out that they play cards together.

Ask him about Manpreet and he responds, “Sometimes he does labour work with us. These days he goes to Chunna for some job. But, he doesn’t even tell us where he is employed.”

But has there been a change in his financial status post-2014? “Makaan vekh lo. Jawaab mil jayeega (Look at his house. You will get the answer),” another villager suggested.