JOGINDER MANN PULLS ALL PLUGS FOR JALANDHAR LOK SABHA BY-POLL, VISITS PROMINENT SC DERAS

Jalandhar News: Though AAP is yet to decide its candidate for the Lok Sabha bye election but the probable candidates have started their ground work, one such probable candidate and former Punjab Minister Joginder Singh Mann visited the prominent deras of the Jalandhar and sought blessings from the Deras.

Though, Mann had been terming his visit to Dera Sachkhand Ballan and Bhagwan Valmiki Ashram Rahimpur as routine visits. But highly placed sources revealed that a shrewd politician Mann had started testing the waters in case party fields him for the by-poll. This is quite obvious also as AAP is facing a serious trouble in finding a suitable candidate for this prestigious election and a strong group of leaders from Jalandhar is already batting for the candidature of Mann.
Though AAP had tried to poached Congress leaders Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Sushil Kumar Rinku and Akali leader Pawan Kumar Teenu but they had already backed out from the contest and AAP don’t want to take risk of fielding any new candidate who is novice to field of politics. In such a scenario Joginder Mann can be the best candidate for the party going by his vast experience in the rubble rousing field of politics. Mann had been a three time MLA from Phagwara having being elected in 1985, 1992 and 2002 besides being a Minister in Beant Singh, Harcharan Singh Brar, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Captain Amarinder Singh cabinet.
Mann, who is nephew of former Union Home Minister and dalit stalwart Buta Singh, had started his career from Jalandhar only and during 1980s his milk bar at local BMC chowk was a hub of Punjab politics with people from across the state visiting this place to get their works done. In the contemporary politics, Mann is lone Sikh SC leader of the state and especially of Doaba, who enjoys mass support amongst all the communities due to his firm grip over Sikh politics and religion. Though Mann had remained in Congress party for long but had left the party after the Congress government had failed to act against the perpetrators of the post matric scholarship scam.
Due to strong Congress wave in Doaba in wake of CM Charanjit Singh Channi, Mann had lost from Phagwara in 2022 with a wafer thin margin but had brought AAP into a major challenging position. Though AAP had no organizational structure in Phagwara but then also Mann, due to his wide popularity amongst people, had pushed Punjab BSP President Surjit Singh Garhi and BJP stalwart Vijay Sampla on third and fourth position respectively. As AAP cannot afford another defeat in by-election after Sangrur so in this scenario a mass and grounded leader like Mann can be best bet for the party.
Another thing that goes directly in favor of Mann is that he having relatives in six out the total nine assembly segments viz. Jalandhar central, Adampur, Kartarpur, Shahkot, Nakodar and Phillaur. Likewise, his native village and that of Buta Singh’s fall in Jalandhar Lok sabha segment only so he can tilt the slides in favor of the AAP. An astute politician who has fairly good experience of the poll politics, Mann had already sought blessings from Sant Niranjan Dass and Sant Pargat Nath at Dera Sachkhad Ballan and Bhagwan Valmiki Yog Ashram Rahimpur.
However, when contacted, Mann described his visits as a routine one to seek blessings from both the affluent Deras of the SC community. He said that this visit has nothing to do with the elections. He said that it is the party to decide that who will contest the poll but he will be abide by every decision of the party and the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.