Punjab: Less than a week is left for the election of a new MLA from Ludhiana West Assembly constituency, where by-elections are due on June 19, but issues related to the public at the local level have been lost in the political rhetoric and blame game between the ruling and opposition parties. Instead of laying out their action plan to solve core public issues, senior leaders of almost all parties are busy spewing venom at each other. “Be it AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, CM Bhagwant Mann, former CM Charanjit Channi, Congress MLA from Kapurthala Rana Gurjeet, SAD president Sukhbir Badal or BJP state president Sunil Jakhar, all leaders are more focused on targeting their political opponents,” said Dr SS Johal, former chancellor of Punjab Central University. He said the parties are aware that the by-election results will be a referendum not only for the ruling AAP but also for the Congress and the BJP ahead of the general assembly elections in early 2027. “Nobody has discussed the real issues of the constituency yet,” he quipped. The major issues concerning the common man in the assembly constituency, a completely urban area in the heart of the city, include deteriorating law and order situation, waterlogging during rainy season, menace of stray dogs, providing ownership rights to residents of Jawahar Nagar Camp Colony, cleaning of Budh Nullah, completion of City Centre, proper functioning of District Transport Office and most important but not the least, lack of basic civic amenities for which the voters are demanding a time-bound and permanent action plan, said Harmeet Kaur Waraich, principal of Nankana Sahib Public School. The Ludhiana West bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting Aam Aadmi Party MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January. Around 1.75 lakh voters will decide the fate of the candidates on Thursday.
Punjab: Local issues lost amid political rhetoric and slander
