Nawanshahr, December 15, 2016
The Congress has fielded, Angad Saini ( 26), son of the sitting Congress MLA, Gur Iqbal Kaur Babli from Nawanshahr. The youngest candidate, Angad Saini's father late Parkash Singh( former Parliamentary Secretary) was nephew of the late Congress stalwart, Dilbagh Singh. Parkash Singh had contested from Nawanshahr for the first time in February, 2000 when by-poll for the Nawanshahr assembly was necessitated due the resignation from the Legislative assembly by his cousin, Charanjit Singh Channi ( son of late Dilbagh Singh). Channi was elected MP from Hoshiarpur Lok SAbha seat in 1999. Interestingly, Channi had won the Nawanshahr assembly seat as rebel Congress candidate in 1997. Then, he contested against his own mother, Amar Kaur, the official Congress nominee. Though, Parkash Singh faced defeat in the By-poll in 2000, he won the assembly poll in 2002 and remained Parliamentary Secretary. He had to face defeat from SAD candidate, Jatinder Singh Kariha in 2007. After his death in 2010, the Congress ticket was given to his widow, Gur Iqbal Kaur Babli in 2012 and she defeated SAD nominee , SAtinder Kaur Kariha, widow of Jatinder Singh Kariha. During 2012 assembly polls,
It is worthwhile to mention here that Channi had also filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate but later withdrawn his nomination. But, this time he has returned into electoral battle of Nawanshahr as AAP candidate. When Channi was declared candidate by AAP, Angad Saini has put an emotional post on his facebook account that he has to start his political career not only without the blessings of his uncle but have to contest against him.
In Nawanshahr assembly segment the electoral battle remained between the families of late Congress stalwart Dilbagh Singh and SAD stalwart Kariha. While, the Kariha family would not be in electoral battle as the SAD has fielded Jarnail Singh Wahid , the family of Dilbagh Singh would enter into electoral battle as a divided house. Now, it would be interesting to see the strategy to be adopted by Kariha family as well as AAP candidate Charanjit Singh Channi to gain their lost ground during the ensuing assembly polls. The result of the Nawanshahr would depend on the how much support the AAP candidate Channi would be able to garner in his favour from the Saini community in the name of his father and how much active support the SAD candidate, Jarnail Singh Wahid could garner from Kariha family.