SAD fields Sant Brar against Manpreet

Chandigarh, January 9
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has fielded Sant Singh Brar from Gidderbaha. It is for the first time after the 1966 re-organisation of states that the party has fielded somebody not related to the Badal clan from the constituency.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had lost from Gidderbaha to the late Harcharan Singh Brar by a narrow margin in 1967. He won the seat in 1969. In 1992, the SAD boycotted the assembly elections and Congress' Raghubir Singh won the seat.
The seat was declared vacant in 1995 and in the ensuing byelection, SAD nominee Manpreet Singh Badal was elected with a margin of about 2,500 votes. He was re-elected from this constituency in 1997, 2002 and 2007, each time with a larger margin. This time Manpreet is contesting the seat as the People's Party of Punjab candidate.
A Congress rebel, Brar had contested against Manpreet as an Independent in 2007 and finished second. He was denied the Congress ticket in 2007. There were reports that Harsimrat Kaur Badal would be the SAD candidate from Gidderbaha. But after much thinking, the Chief Minister decided against it. In its final list announced today, The SAD also named seven other candidates. The Akali Dal is contesting 94 seats while the remaining 23 (of the total 117) are being contested by the BJP.
Former hockey captain and Olympian Pargat Singh has been fielded from Jalandhar Cantt to counter Congress’ Jagbir Singh Brar, who defected to the party from the People’s Party of Punjab recently.
Pargat Singh, said to be Sukhbir’s choice, recently quit the Punjab Police to be permanently absorbed as Director of Sports, Punjab, the post he held till now. He is credited for contributing a lot for improving sports infrastructure in the state and successfully conducting two World Cup Kabaddi championships.
In Muktsar, the SAD has fielded Kanwarjit Singh Barkandi, an aide of Sukhbir Badal and son of Muktsar SAD District president Manjit Barkandi. The contest here would be between him and sitting MLA Sunny Brar’s wife Karan Brar.
Prem Mittal has been chosen to lead the party in Mansa. A former Congress man, he was the senior Deputy Mayor in Ludhiana and later switched sides to join the SAD. Similarly, the Samrala seat has been given to former SGPC member Kirpal Singh Khirnia, father of sitting SAD MLA Jagjiwan Singh Khirnia. This is perhaps the only seat where a father has replaced the son, it is generally otherwise.

The Bathinda (Rural) seat has been allotted to Darshan Singh Kotfatta. Baba Bakala, a reserved seat, has been given to Khadur Sahib sitting MLA Manjit Singh Mianwind. In Jandiala, the SAD has announced the name of Baljit Singh Jalausman, who won the SGPC elections in September last as a rebel candidate after being denied the SAD ticket in spite of being the sitting SGPC member. He is reportedly close to Youth Akali Dal president Bikram Majithia. Balwant Singh Shahpur has been fielded from Nabha (Reserved).