Chandigarh: In a major setback to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Ferozepur MP Sher Singh Ghubaya joined the Congress on Tuesday in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi, a day after resigning from the party.
Punjab Congress chief Sunil Kumar Jakhar and AICC in-charge of Punjab Congress affairs Asha Kumari were also present at the residence of the Congress chief.
Gubaya had a fall out with the SAD president, Sukbhir Singh Badal, in 2017, when his son was denied the Assembly ticket. His son, Devinder Singh, then contested on a Congress ticket from Fazilka and won the elections.
Ghubaya is considered to have a strong influence on the Rai Sikh community which constitutes about 3 lakh votes in Ferozepur.
Hinting that the Congress leadership had offered him the ticket, Ghubaya said, “I left the SAD because I was being sidelined. For the past two years I was never called for any party meet or a public event. Now I will win this seat for the Congress. The deciding vote is with me as I can change equations in around 8 assembly segments.”
Meanwhile, Asha Kumari confirmed that Ghubaya has unconditionally joined the Congress. “Everybody has the right to vouch for the ticket. It’s up for the CEC of the Congress to decide who gets the ticket. We have received various nominations and the final decision will be taken accordingly,” she said.
Interestingly, Ghubaya had defeated Sunil Jhakhar in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections by a margin of 31,420 votes. However, commenting on the development, Jhakar maintained that he shares no personal enmity with Ghubaya. “We simply contested against each other in 2014,” he said.
Talking about whether there was a chance for Ghubaya to receive a party ticket, Jhakhar said, “We have received 185 applications for 13 Lok Sabha seats. Only Rahul Gandhi will decide who gets the party ticket.”
However, Ghubaya’s entry into the Congress fold is going to pose several challenges for the party’s inner workings. In fact, sitting MLA Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi from Guru Harsahai, has already expressed his desire to contest from Ferozepur.
Apart from this, names of Zira MLA Kulbir Singh Zira and even his father Inderjit Singh Zira are doing the rounds as possible candidates and Gidderbaha MLA Raja Warring has also thrown his hat in the ring.
On the other hand, Ghubaya’s exit has created a vacuum for the SAD in Ferozepur, which has been its bastion for 25 years. According to sources, two-time sitting MP from Bhatinda Harsimrat Kaur Badal is expected to fill this gap.
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