Interesting fact-candidate with akali background will win 2022 election from Patiala (urban)

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Interesting fact-candidate with akali background will win 2022 election from Patiala (urban)

Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in

In an interesting fact in 2022 elections, all four key parties’ candidates who are fighting upcoming Punjab assembly elections from Patiala (urban) have one thing in common- all four remained akali at one point of time in their political career.

Capt Amarinder Singh is contesting Patiala (urban) elections on Punjab Lok Congress ticket, Ajitpal Singh Kohli on aam admi party ticket,Harpal juneja on shiromani akali dal (Badal) and Vishnu Sharma on Congress ticket.

The interesting fact is that Capt Amarinder Singh also remained akali. His political career started when he was inducted into the Congress by Rajiv Gandhi, who was his friend from school and was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980. In 1984, he resigned from Parliament and from Congress as a protest against the Army action during Operation Blue Star. Subsequently, he joined the Shiromani Akali Dal was elected to the state legislature from Talwandi Sabo and became a minister in the state government for Agriculture, Forest, Development and Panchayats.

In 1992 he broke away from the Akali Dal and formed a splinter group named Shiromani Akali Dal (Panthic) which later merged with the Congress in 1998 (after his party’s crushing defeat in Vidhan Sabha election in which he himself was defeated from his own constituency where he got only few hundred votes).

Second candidate Ajitpal Singh Kohli , who is AAP candidate is a taksali Akali till few days ago. His grandfather Sardara Singh Kohli, father Surjit Singh Kohli remained ministers in akali government of their time. Ajitpal also remained the first akali mayor of the royal city Patiala from 2007-2012. After shiromani akali dal ignored his claim for party ticket, he shifted his loyalty towards aam admi party (AAP).

Third candidate Vishnu Sharma, who remained district congress (urban) president, first mayor of Patiala city from 2002-2007 left congress after differences with Capt Amarinder Singh, Preneet Kaur and joined shiromani akali dal in April 2014. Later akali government appointed him as Chairman,Improvement Trust Patiala. On January 17, 2022 he rejoined congress party.

Fourth candidate, Harpal Juneja, who is contesting on shiromani akali dal ticket, belongs to and remained in SAD.

Interesting fact-candidate with akali background will win 2022 election from Patiala (urban) be it Capt Amarinder Singh, be it Ajitpal singh kohli be it Harpal Juneja or be it Vishnu Sharma.