Former Finance Minister of Punjab and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for the Gidderbaha Assembly by-poll, Manpreet Singh Badal, midway ended a conversation with a farmer leader and left in his SUV without addressing further questions.
Badal, who on Monday morning had visited the village for his election campaign, was approached by Bittu Mallan, a farmer activist from the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan). Mallan asked the BJP candidate about critical issues, including the death of farmer Shubhkaran during the farm protests and the unlisted paddy left unsold in local grain markets.
Although Badal initially responded by highlighting some of the initiatives he had taken during his tenure as Gidderbaha's MLA, he quickly retreated when confronted with more pressing concerns. As Mallan pressed on with his questions, Badal made a hasty exit, leaving the venue in his car without providing answers.
Twelve years after losing his stronghold, BJP candidate Manpreet Singh Badal has returned to Gidderbaha to seek a re-election and showcase it as a "model" assembly segment and wrest the seat once represented by his uncle.
The former state finance minister has been visiting villages in the constituency and is invoking the name of five-time chief minister late Parkash Singh Badal.
The 62-year-old has as his rivals AAP's nominee Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon and Congress candidate Amrita Warring, who is the wife of Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) has fielded Sukhraj Singh.
The Gidderbaha seat fell vacant after Raja Warring, who was a Congress MLA, was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Ludhiana seat in the 2024 parliamentary elections.
Meanwhile, taking a jibe at the BJP leader, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann last week slammed BJP leader Manpreet Singh Badal for "being disconnected from the people and their issues".
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