Is this the price of development? Are bulldozers targeting the right issues?
Rating
Imagine if the government used the same bulldozers they sent to flatten people’s homes to clear out the mountain of “on-paper” schemes that never seem to make it to reality.
Surjit Singh Rakhra, two-time MLA from Samana (2002 and 2012), Former Cabinet Minister, and the leader who defeated Captain Amarinder Singh’s son Raninder Singh in 2012 but later lost to AAP and Congress in 2017, is now with the rebel faction Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjeet). Over two decades, Surjit Singh Rakhra has remained rooted in Samana, refusing to shift constituencies even after losses, earning respect for his approachable style. With the rebel faction planning to contest upcoming Zilla Parishad and Block Samiti elections under Giani Harpreet Singh, the real question is, if his momentum continues, could Rakhra become a serious challenge for Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) in 2027, a rival they cannot easily ignore?
सुरजीत सिंह रखड़ा, समाना से दो बार विधायक (2002 और 2012), पूर्व कैबिनेट मंत्री और नेता जिन्होंने 2012 में कैप्टन अमरिंदर सिंह के बेटे रणिंदर सिंह को हराया लेकिन 2017 में AAP और कांग्रेस से हार गए, अब बागी गुट शिरोमणि अकाली दल (पुनर्सुरजीत) के साथ हैं। दो दशकों से सुरजीत सिंह रखड़ा समाना से जुड़े रहे हैं और चुनाव हारने के बावजूद अपनी सीट नहीं बदली, उनकी सरल और जनता के करीब रहने वाली शैली के कारण उन्हें सम्मान मिला। अब जब बागी दल ज्ञानी हरप्रीत सिंह के नेतृत्व में आगामी ज़िला परिषद और ब्लॉक समितियों के चुनाव लड़ने की तैयारी कर रहा है, असली सवाल यह है: अगर उनकी गति बनी रहती है, तो क्या सुरजीत सिंह रखड़ा 2027 में शिरोमणि अकाली दल (बादल) के लिए एक गंभीर चुनौती बन सकते हैं, जिसे नजरअंदाज करना आसान नहीं होगा?
Parkash Singh Badal lived a larger-than-life political journey, eleven terms as MLA, five terms as Chief Minister, and decades as one of Punjab’s most defining leaders. But his unexpected defeat in Lambi in the 2022 election marked a turning point, a moment when his once-unshakable stronghold slipped away. And just a year later, in 2023, he passed away, closing a historic chapter in Punjab’s politics. Now the question is, what does his final electoral loss mean for his legacy and the future of Punjab’s political landscape?
