Now, other NSA detainees want to throw hat in poll ring

Dera Baba Nanak, Barnala and Gidderbaha assembly seats fell vacant after their representatives won Lok Sabha elections. Daljit Kalsi is set to fight from Dera Baba Nanak, Kulwant Singh Raoke Barnala and Pardhan Mantri Bajeke from Gidderbaha.

After Waris Punjab De chief and NSA detainee Amritpal Singh registered a thumping victory in the recently held Lok Sabha elections from the Khadoor Sahib segment, his aides are gearing up to contest the upcoming assembly bypolls from Dera Baba Nanak, Barnala and Gidderbaha assembly seats from jail.

The victory of radical preacher Amritpal Singh from Khadoor Sahib in the Lok Sabha elections has enthused his aides who are detained in the Dibrugarh jail of Assam under the National Security Act.

The assembly seats of Dera Baba Nanak, Barnala and Gidderbaha turned vacant after their representatives — former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, respectively — resigned after being elected as MPs. While Randhawa was elected as Gurdaspur MP, Warring and Meet Hayer were elected from Ludhiana and Sangrur, respectively. These three assembly seats are bound to see bypolls soon.

Enthused by the victory of Amritpal and also that of Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, son of the then PM Indira Gandhi’s assassin Beant Singh, from Faridkot, other NSA detainees lodged in Dibrugarh jail of Assam are reportedly eager to contest elections from the upcoming bypolls.

One of the detainees, Daljit Kalsi will contest the elections from Dera Baba Nanak. The announcement was made by his wife Neeru Kalsi in a video shared on social media. She said, “I met him at the Central Jail in Dibrugarh yesterday. He has decided to contest the upcoming bypoll from Dera Baba Nanak which is home to his maternal grandparents.”

Kalsi is an actor-turned-Sikh activist. He was close associate of slain actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu who floated the Waris Punjab De organisation, now headed by Amritpal Singh. The National Security Act (NSA) was also invoked against him for aiding the radical Sikh leader.

Pertinently, the family of Sandeep Singh Sunny, who allegedly killed Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri in Amritsar and is lodged in Patiala jail currently, has already announced that he will contest elections from Dera Baba Nanak. Infighting is likely among the Sikh hardliners. “We took this decision a month ago in consultation with the Panthic organisations,” said Hardeep Singh, brother of Sunny.

On the other hand, NSA detainee Kulwant Singh Raoke, another accomplice of Amritpal, also announced to contest the bypoll from Barnala. His cousin Maha Singh shared this information with mediapersons. His father Charat Singh was taken away allegedly by the police in 1993 during the militancy era and he never returned.

Prior to this, Bhagwant Singh, alias Pardhan Mantri Bajeke, a social media influencer who is in Dibrugarh jail, has planned to contest from Gidderbaha. One claiming to be Bajeke’s son made this announcement on social media.