Sukhbir Singh to face tough fight from old ally Ghubaya in Ferozepur

Ferozepur: The Sikhs are by and large deeply religious, and the Akalis are more. But few of their leaders would go to the Golden Temple to pray for victory in an electoral battle. Sukhbir Singh Badal, the Shiromani Akali Dal president and former deputy chief minister of Punjab, did that on Friday morning, before driving the 110 kilometres to Ferozepur, to file his nomination papers for the election that will take place on May 19.

He is going to need the blessings of the Gurus for sure. For, one of the fiercest electoral battles in modern days is going to take place in this constituency, on the banks of the Sutlej, near the National Martyrs' Memorial where Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Singh and Rajguru were cremated.

The SAD announced the candidate for Ferozepur and Bhatinda, last of all. Both are from the Badal family that controls the Shirmani Akali Dal . Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kar, will contest from Bhatinda. Sources in the party said the delay was only to decide whether to field the 93-year old Parkash Singh Badal from one of these two constituencies, leaving Sukhbir to campaign all over the state. The former chief minister's age finally appears to have tilted the decision in favour of Sukhbir, who will now be confined to his constituency.

Fighting him there on the Congress ticket will be Sher Singh Ghubaya, the sitting MP from the constituency. Ghubaya quit the SAD on March 4 and joined the Congress on March 5, only after he was assured the party ticket from Ferozepur. For the last two years, Ghubaya has let everyone know that his relationship with the Akali Dal has soured, that he will contest as candidate of whichever party that gives him ticket, or as an independent candidate if need be.

Ghubaya believes the Badals have humiliated him in a “most unbearable fashion”. As deputy chief minister, with the vigilance department under him, Sukhbir ordered a vigilance raid into colleges run by Ghubaya. The MP maintained that he did this because Ghubaya's son Davinder Singh was about to join the Congress—which he did, and is now an MLA from Fazilka, one of the segments in Ferozepur.

Ghubaya's “Et tu, Brute” moment came in 2017, when he wanted the Akali ticket for his son Davinder in the assembly elections. When denied that, he was furious and cried from the roof tops how he had vacated his Jalalabad assembly seat in 2009, and agreed to contest for Parliament, just to facilitate the entry of Sukhbir Singh Badal as deputy chief minister of Punjab.

While Sukhbir has since been fighting from Jalalabad, Ghubaya won Ferozepur in 2009 and 2014.

He belongs to the Rai Sikh community which has a large number of votes in the area, and his family commands enormous influence there.

But that influence could well pale before the enormous resources that the Badals will pour into the constituency, for they too are bitter over two generations of Ghubayas shifting to the Congress—the traditional rival of the Akalis. What can help Ghubaya is the fact that Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarender Singh will also do all it takes to keep the Badals at bay.

Sukhbir was Member of the Lok Sabha representing Faridkot when he resigned to become the deputy chief minister of Punjab in 2009. Though he has been member of the Lok Sabha three times (and that of the Rajya Sabha one) in the past, it is not going to be a cake walk in Ferozepur.

This story first appeared in The Week.