Congress’ Gurjeet Singh Aujla eyes hat-trick amid four-cornered fight in Amritsar

Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Congress’s incumbent Member of Parliament from the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, is aiming to score a hat-trick after consecutive wins in the 2017 bypoll and 2019 general elections. His opponents are gearing up to challenge his winning streak.

Aujla, who made his poll debut by defeating BJP's Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina in the 2017 bypolls and then secured his position by triumphing over Union Minister Hardeep Puri with a margin of almost one lakh votes, is once again vigorously campaigning to retain his seat in Parliament.

However, this time the dynamics in Amritsar are different, and all eyes are on the four-cornered contest in this high-profile constituency.

While the Congress has once again thrown its weight behind Aujla, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded its Cabinet Minister and MLA from Ajnala, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal. The BJP has nominated former IFS officer Taranjit Singh Sandhu, while the Shiromani Akali Dal has put its faith in Anil Joshi, a former BJP member.

With less than a month remaining until the polling in Punjab, candidates are crisscrossing the constituency, striving to outdo each other.

While Aujla asserts his commitment to ushering in development, his opponent, AAP candidate Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, claimed that the Congress MP offered nothing to the city.

“The MPs in the past have done nothing for the Amritsar city. Getting roads made or setting the drains right are not the jobs of an MP. The MP must have a vision but Aujla has offered nothing to the city," Dhaliwal said.

“Congress is facing severe division while people in the rural areas are unhappy with the BJP. So I don't feel we are facing any challenge,” said AAP candidate Dhaliwal.

Dhaliwal echoed Bhagwant Mann's assertion that AAP will sweep all 13 seats in Punjab.

Gurjeet Singh Aujla, however, remains confident in his ability to secure victory once again, citing the failures of the central government in controlling inflation and addressing unemployment.

“This election is different and people have understood that the government at the Centre has not been able to control the inflation and also no respite has been given when it comes to unemployment. I have done my best for Amritsar. Apart from the development being done, efforts have been to bring in new flights for the city of Amritsar," Aujla said.

Aujla also criticizes the AAP government in Punjab for its handling of the drug issue and its unfulfilled promises regarding sand rates reduction.

Bhagwant Mann can claim anything but it is not the reality, added Aujla.

Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Anil Joshi, formerly associated with the BJP, contends that his tenure as a Punjab government minister outshines Aujla's achievements.

"I have been a minister in the Punjab government during the SAD-BJP regime and the kind of work and development I did for Amritsar, the Congress MP has failed to match it," Joshi said.

Claiming that he was thrown out by the BJP for standing by the farmers, Anil Joshi said, "I stood by the farmers and my party showed me the door. Today I am contesting from Shiromani Akali Dal and I stand firm with the farmers of Punjab."

Meanwhile, the BJP's candidate, former diplomat Taranjit Sandhu, emphasizes his vision for Amritsar, focusing on infrastructure and law enforcement improvements.

"I am here to make a change. The people who have represented Amritsar in the past need to answer what they have done for the city," Sandhu said.

“I have a plan for Amritsar. Today, this city needs better infrastructure and a better law and order situation. A lot of things can be done and that is part of my vision," he added.

He also said that te farmers' protests were politically motivated and also called for stable India-US relations.

Amritsar, a BJP stronghold from 2004 to 2014, remains a key target for the party.

Seat Profile

Amritsar has historically been a high-profile constituency. Navjot Singh Sidhu secured victories for the BJP in 2004, 2007 (by-poll), and 2009.

However, things changed in 2014, when BJP ignored Navjot Sidhu and floated its big gun Arun Jaitley from Amritsar. But this proved costly for the saffron party as former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh defeated him with a comfortable margin and upset BJP's winning streak in Amritsar.

Following Amarinder Singh's resignation over the SYL issue, Gurjeet Singh Aujla won the seat for the Congress in 2017 bypoll and retained it in 2019.

Of the nine Assembly segments, AAP holds sway in seven.

Following a significant victory in the 2022 Vidhan Sabha polls, AAP secured seven of the nine Vidhan Sabha segments within the Amritsar parliamentary constituency.

As for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, AAP holds all five seats within the city, while the Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress have representation in Majitha and Rajasansi, respectively. AAP MLAs represent Ajnala and Attari.

The Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency comprises nine Vidhan Sabha segments: Amritsar North, Amritsar Central, Amritsar East, Amritsar South, Amritsar West, Majitha, Ajnala, Rajasansi, and Attari.

Punjab will vote in the seventh and final phase of polling on June 1, with vote counting scheduled for June 4.