Does the Patiala turf belong to Amarinder Singh or Congress?

Amarinder now has his own party – Punjab Lok Congress – which has the backing of the BJP and PM Narendra Modi

The Assembly seat of Patiala has been a long-held bastion of Amarinder Singh and Preneet Kaur, with the duo having represented the constituency as their MLA for nearly 20 years.

However, a lot has changed since the former Punjab chief minister came to power in Patiala in 2002. For starters, Amarinder is no longer part of the Congress, having quit the party in October. He now has his own party – Punjab Lok Congress – which has the backing of the BJP and PM Narendra Modi.

According to a report by News18, hoardings plastered with Amarinder's face and Congress' symbol that were once commonplace in Punjab are no longer the norm. Billboards and flags of the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress' Vishnu Sharma competing for space with Singh's Punjab Lok Congress in the city's famous Fuvaara Chowk.

Since his exit, many have questioned whether the Patiala seat is that of Captain's or that of the Congress.

While Vishnu Sharma, the Congress candidate claimed that the incumbent MLA had done little for the development of the city, aides and supporters of the former CM said that "people are connected with Captain by heart and mind.”

Kuldeep Krishan Prashar, a veteran local and Captain supporter told the publication that allying with BJP would be a "bonus" as Narendra Modi has done "a lot" for Hindus.

On the other hand, the Congress, by fielding ex-mayor Sharma is playing the Hindu card, the report added. Sharma told News18 that Amarinder and Preneet remained inaccessible to the public and had ruined the city. “Let Captain answer why no development happened in Patiala. He claims ‘vikas’ in Patiala but Patiala has seen ‘vinash’. Let him mention even one work that he has done,” he said.

AAP too fielded a former mayor in Ajit Pal Singh Kohli.

Whether the battle for Patiala is a solo or a triangular contest is something only time can tell, but it is likely that Captain may not have comfortable win like he did in 2012, and 2017.

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