Ferozepur March 21, 2019: Ferozepur – located on the India-Pakistan border, founded in 14th century by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, has a political historical significance that Shiromani Akali Dal has been holding over the area since 1998 with Sher Singh Ghubaya for a decade during the last two terms.
While the Congress leaders are divided over the fielding of new turncoat candidate Sher Singh Ghubaya by the party whereas, with the announcement of Harsimrat Kaur Badal from Ferozpeur, all Akali leaders have given their consent.
In the coming elections it is to be seen as to who will change with two records to change the history chapter, with joining of Sher Singh Ghubaya two-time MP in Congress or by field a strong candidate by SAD as Harsimrat Kaur Badal – one by winning the seat by the Congress candidate and second by giving the first woman MP since independence.
In the absence of Harsimrat Badal, the name of Janmeja Singh Sekhon who belongs to Ferozepur is also figuring for Lok Sabha seat.
Ferozepur has emerged as Akali bastion with the State’s regional party winning five back-to-back elections. Moreover, out of the total 16 elections since 1952, SAD has won nine while Congress has won five.
In 1985 Gurdial Singh Dhillon won from Congress seat lastly, followed by Independent candidate Dhian Singh Mand in 1989, two-time Mohan Singh Phallianwala of BSP in 1992 and 1996 and from 1998 onwards, three times Zora Singh Maan in 1998, 1999 and 2004 followed by Sher Singh Ghubaya in 2009 and 2014.
Ghubaya – who hailed from the Rai Sikh community having a stronghold in the constituency with a sizable population, has only the weak footing which has put the Congress in double dilemma – one because of Ghubaya’s sleazy video that went viral ahead 2017 elections and second because of open opposition from the senior Congress leaders – Sunil Jakhar, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Dr.Mohinder Rinwa, Hans Raj Jossan and Youth Congress candidate Gurbhej Tibbi.
Ghubaya claimed that Sukhbir’s popularity is diminishing in the constituency considering the squeezing of winning margins. Sukhbir won 2017 elections by a margin of just 18,000 votes, against 82,000 votes in 2009 bypoll.
Image Credit -HT
Although the Constitution of India removed gender inequalities among caste and gender, discrimination continues to be a widespread barrier to women's political participation but Ferozepur has never seen a woman candidate since Independence excepting fielding of CPI candidate who forfeited her security deposit. As per the final electoral list, the women vote share in this segment is 46.7 percent as compared to 53.3 percent of the total votes.
Even during the last Assembly elections, all nine seats were won by men in Parliament segment, seven by Congress and one each by the SAD and the BJP. None of the party had fielded even a single woman candidate.
Both the parties are working on to break each others’ citadel before announcing its candidates. Congress has already tried its prominent leader Sunil Jakhar from the seat from where his father, Balram Jakhar, was elected way back in 1980—but remained unsuccessful against SAD’s Ghubaya who was elected Ferozepur MP for the second time consecutively. But this time, Ghubaya is virtually with the Congress— depriving Akali Dal of a strong candidate, while giving the Congress a fitting option.
Another third party Aam Aadmi Party, which has taken a lead in announcing its candidates for five seats, is yet to decide for Ferozepur. Its candidate during previous elections, advocate Satnam Pal Kamboj, who came third with about 1.13 lakh (10 percent) votes, has quit the party in January 2017, but is yet to join any outfit till date.
Ferozepur parliamentary constituency is largely a rural segment with a majority of Rai Sikh population —nearly 15 percent—who have been playing a crucial role in deciding their representative in the Lower House. It is believed that the Rai Sikh community have more influence than its numbers.
Ghubaya received 4,87,932 (44.13 percent of the total votes polled) votes against 3,08,964 votes (41.29 percent) cast for the runner up Jakhar. AAP’s Satnam Singh Kamboj bagged 1,13,412 votes (10.26 percent).
Image source-Wikipedia
There are a total of 17,68,759 voters – male 9,41,946 and female 8,26869, and 44 third gender and 4597 service voters - in the Ferozepur Lok Sabha constituency in ten segments of three Assembly Constituencies of Ferozepur, Fazilka and Muktsar.
During the last 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Sher Singh Gbubaya got 4,87,932 votes and won by 31420 won defeating Sunil Jakhar who got 4,56,512 votes. However, due to Aam Aadmi Party waive, Satnam Kamboj AAP candidate got 1,13,412 votes which had a effect on both the Congress and SAD-BJP candidates.
None of the party has so far announced its candidates except one party –Punjab Democratic Alliance – PDA as Comrade Hans Raj Golden a CPI leader. Only after the announcement of candidates by the major political parties – Congress and SAD-BJP, guessing the game could start of breaking the records of winning the seat by the Congress after 1985 or by giving the first woman candidate.