Tribune News Service
Sujanpur, August 10
Amit Manto, an aspirant for the Congress party ticket, started with his campaign in the Sujanpur Assembly seat on Tuesday by visiting villages and holding meetings with ex-servicemen, who have a substantial vote share.
Even during the 2017 poll, the emphasis of all major parties, including the Congress, BJP and AAP, was on this vote bank. Defence personnel hailing from Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Hoshiarpur districts often start living in Sujanpur once they superannuate.
In 2017, I started campaigning late because the party declared my candidature at the last minute. This time, I have started meeting people. I am focusing on the Dhar block, which is one of the most backward block. Water and power supply remains erratic throughout the year.
The Congress had fielded Manto in the last election from this seat. BJP is sure to re-nominate the sitting MLA and former Deputy speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Dinesh Singh Babbu, while AAP is still struggling to find its feet in the area and the SAD has a negligible presence.
As if taking a cue, other contenders have planned similar exercises later this week.
Manto met the Rajput community leaders and promised to take up their grievances if elected. Like ex-servicemen, the Rajputs, too, have a fair sprinkling of votes following which this community is also much sought after during the elections.
“Last time, I started my campaign late because the party declared my candidature at the last minute. This time, I have already started meeting people. I am focusing on the sub-mountainous Dhar block, which is one of the most backward blocks of Punjab. Here, both water and power supply remains erratic throughout the year. Also the condition of roads is pitiable. So backward is this block that government officials refuse to come even after they are posted here. It is time this changes,” said Manto.
He also met members of the Ranjit Sagar Dam Oustees’ Associations (RSDOA). For the last three decades, these members have been claiming that the Punjab Government has not provided them with adequate compensation when their agricultural land was acquired in 1992 for the dam. “These people want proper compensation and jobs as well. It is a sensitive issue, but nevertheless I have written to both — Punjab Irrigation Department and the dam officials, to try and find a solution to this vexed problem,” said Manto.