Manpreet Singh Badal’s political journey once placed him at the centre of Punjab politics, a five-time MLA and a key finance mind trusted by his uncle (taayaji), Late Sardar Parkash Singh Badal, and later backed by Congress. But today, that trajectory looks sharply disrupted. After winning Bathinda Urban in 2017, he suffered a heavy defeat there in 2022, and following his shift to the BJP, his return to his old stronghold Gidderbaha in the 2024 bypoll also ended in a clear loss, where he finished far behind the winner. Now the focus shifts to his next move. Will he return to Gidderbaha or try again from Bathinda Urban, and more importantly, after back-to-back defeats and a party switch, do these constituencies still see him as a viable leader or has the ground already slipped away ?
मनप्रीत सिंह बादल की राजनीतिक यात्रा कभी पंजाब की राजनीति के केंद्र में थी, वे पांच बार विधायक रहे और एक प्रमुख वित्तीय चेहरा रहे, जिन पर उनके तायाजी स्वर्गीय सरदार प्रकाश सिंह बादल और बाद में कांग्रेस नेतृत्व ने भरोसा जताया। लेकिन आज यह सफर काफी बदला हुआ दिखता है। 2017 में बठिंडा अर्बन से जीत के बाद, 2022 में उन्हें वहां बड़ी हार का सामना करना पड़ा, और भाजपा में शामिल होने के बाद 2024 के गिद्दड़बाहा उपचुनाव में वापसी भी सफल नहीं रही, जहां वे काफी पीछे रह गए। अब सवाल उनके अगले कदम पर है। क्या वे गिद्दड़बाहा लौटेंगे या फिर बठिंडा अर्बन से दोबारा कोशिश करेंगे, और सबसे अहम, लगातार हार और पार्टी बदलने के बाद क्या ये क्षेत्र उन्हें अब भी एक मजबूत नेता मानते हैं या जमीन खिसक चुकी है ?
Ravneet Singh Bittu built a strong electoral record during his time in Congress, winning the 2009 Lok Sabha election from Anandpur Sahib and later securing two consecutive wins from Ludhiana in 2014 and 2019. However, after shifting to the BJP, he lost the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Ludhiana. Despite this setback, he was elevated to the Rajya Sabha and has since been projected as one of the party’s strongest voices in Punjab. This raises a sharper question. Did the BJP push Ravneet Singh Bittu forward mainly due to the lack of a strong and reliable Sikh face in the state, and more importantly, can a leader who could not secure a direct electoral win still be seen as a credible Chief Ministerial face, or does that gap between projection and performance raise serious doubts ?
