1985, Rajiv Gandhi brought the anti-defection law to curb political turncoats. Four decades later, Rahul Gandhi is seen aligning with Anil Joshi, a BJP rebel and ex-SAD candidate who fought the last MP election from Amritsar in 2024. Is he promoting the very defection his father tried to stop? And did Punjab Congress leaders even know about Joshi’s possible induction, or was this bypassed from Delhi?
Rating
A. Most foolish act – betraying Rajiv Gandhi’s own stand against defections.
B. Pure opportunism – Rahul using fence-sitters to gain instant advantage.
C. Desperation – Punjab Congress has no real candidate for Tarn Taran.
For three decades, Bathinda Urban has never trusted the same MLA twice, a seat that has tossed out Congress, SAD, and even Manpreet Badal in quick succession. Now, with AAP’s Jagroop Singh Gill sitting strong and Manpreet parked in the BJP, all eyes turn to Sukhbir Singh Badal. Can the Akali Dal Chief reclaim lost prestige by fielding a real heavyweight from Bathinda or has the Badal era already lost its political pulse in its own backyard?
पिछले तीन दशकों से बठिंडा अर्बन ने कभी भी एक ही विधायक पर दोबारा भरोसा नहीं किया, यह सीट लगातार कांग्रेस, अकाली दल और यहां तक कि मनप्रीत बादल को भी बाहर का रास्ता दिखा चुकी है। अब जब AAP के जगरूप सिंह गिल मजबूत स्थिति में हैं और मनप्रीत बादल बीजेपी में शामिल हो चुके हैं, तो सबकी नज़रें सुखबीर सिंह बादल पर टिक गई हैं। क्या अकाली दल प्रमुख बठिंडा से कोई दमदार चेहरा उतार कर खोई प्रतिष्ठा वापस पा सकेंगे या बादलों का दौर अब अपने ही गढ़ में खत्म हो चुका है?
Gidderbaha, the very seat Parkash Singh Badal once entrusted to his beloved nephew Manpreet Singh Badal, has now turned into a symbol of the Badal family’s political decline. After Manpreet’s collapse there in 2024 bypolls and Sukhbir Singh Badal’s humiliating defeat from Jalalabad, the big question for 2027 is, where will Sukhbir make his next move? Lambi, Jalalabad, or will he dare to reclaim Gidderbaha?
