Mayor Vaneet Dhir has emerged as the AAP candidate from the Jalandhar North Assembly constituency, with his name featuring in the party's second list of contenders released on November 12. Having already been active in the constituency after being named its halqa in-charge, Dhir is now gearing up for the electoral battle.
Dhir, who has also maintained an active presence on social media, is confident of winning the seat, claiming that individuals are looking for a change. Yet, he faces a challenge from sitting Congress MLA Bawa Henry, who enjoys a strong political presence in the constituency and has consistently raised and addressed local issues.
"I am 100 per cent sure that I will win from Jalandhar North. There are many issues, particularly related to development, which I am now working to address," Dhir noted.
With Dhir entering the electoral fray, the spotlight has once more turned to former Jalandhar mayors who attempted their luck in the Assembly elections but could not make it to the Vidhan Sabha.
One of the prominent names is former Mayor Jagdish Raja, who was once among the most vocal leaders in the Congress and a close associate of former MLA Rajinder Beri. Raja later joined AAP around two years ago. He subsequently contested the councillor's election from his ward but did not manage to retain his seat. He has mainly stayed away from active political engagements since then.
Raja, talking to The Tribune, said, "I was supposed to get the MLA ticket, but that did not happen. However, I will continue to work for the AAP," he said.
Senior Congress leader Balraj Thakur recalled that even Jalandhar's first mayor Jai Kishan had contested an Assembly poll as an Independent contender but did not manage to win.
Former Mayor Suresh Sehgal also attempted his luck from the Jalandhar North constituency after completing his mayoral tenure in 2002. Nevertheless, he lost the election to the Congress by a narrow margin.
"I remained Mayor until 2002. After my tenure ended, I contested from Jalandhar North but lost to the Congress by a very narrow margin," Sehgal said.
Sehgal, who is now associated with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), also made a strong pitch for an alliance between the BJP and SAD, saying both parties must set aside their differences in the larger interest of Punjab.
"My request to both the BJP and SAD is to come together and leave their egos aside. If they want to protect Punjab, they must form an alliance. This is the right time and it should happen now," he noted.
Meanwhile, former Mayor Rakesh Rathour of the BJP is also reportedly keen on contesting the Assembly elections, with Jalandhar Central emerging as his preferred constituency.
As Dhir prepares to take on the electoral challenge in Jalandhar North, it will be interesting to watch if he will be able to make it to Vidhan Sabha.
