NRI Khangura won Qila Raipur seat and break the record of 45 years

Chandigarh, Feb. 27, 2007
Sampuran Singh

To the surprise of no one, turnout today is true and it is approved that only NRIs can change the system if they continue. Qila Raipur was always belong to Akali Dal. No Congress candidate ever won this seat.

In this constituency, people are very educated and this time they felt that only NRI can bring some changes and voted to Oxford-educated hotelier Jasbir Singh Khangura as Congress candidate.Read More

Mr. Khangura's mother, Gurdial Kaur, as Congress candidate lost to Mr. Garcha, Akali Dal in 2002. As such, winning has become a prestige issue for the (till recently) NRI as Congress candidate. "We have to teach these criminals a lesson," he says with a heavy accent.

The Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD)-BJP alliance has got 67 seats while Congress has got 44 seats. The SAD and BJP break up is 48 and 19. Five independents have won and no other party including BSP could open its account in the 116 seats of Punjab Vidhan Sabha in results declared on Tuesday. Polling in Beas segment will be held on March 11.

Amarinder Singh almost demolished the SAD in Mansa, Bathinda, Moga, Faridkot, Barnala, Sangrur and Patiala districts, but his party suffered big defeats in the majha and doaba regions, besides Ferozepore and the Ludhiana-Ropar belt. Failure of the Manmohan Singh Government to control the rising prices of foodgrains hit Amarinder Singh hard in Assembly elections. Even on giving relief to farmers from debt, the Union government kept Amarinder Singh waiting for a long time.

What led to the Congress defeat was Capt Amarinder Singh's concentration on Jat Sikh politics. This pushed him away from the traditional vote bank of the Congress - Hindus in urban areas. Amarinder Singh had live with this image till today, the day he lost the game of power to the SAD-BJP combine.

NRI Surjit Rakhra from USA, Akai Dal Party candidate, lost from constituency of Samana

Badal clearly make history by becoming the Chief Minister of the state for the fourth time in the past 60 years.

NRIs like to teach Punjab Politicians- the real meaning of democracy

Chandigarh, Feb. 10, 2007
Sampuran Singh

More than 50,000 NRIs have come to Punjab for the election and more than one billion rupees of campaign funds have come from overseas. For the past 20 years, Punjabi NRIs are trying to invest money in industry and technology but politicians always made a joke of it. NRIs may be very rich in USA, Canada and UK but THEIR heart lies in Punjab.

Manjit Singh from USA said, "We frequently come back to Punjab, we are strongly and emotionally bonded with Punjab. It is important for all the NRIs to participate in elections. Also if we want to invest in Punjab we must participate in Election process."

Punjabi NRIs are so powerful in USA, Canada, UK and they have close tie with Punjab through internet, TV and radio talk shows. One non-profit organization survey with more than 100 NRIs who are involved with Punjab politics- most of them response:

• We love punjab's land, we love it, we love it. Technology is so great, we got every day live news from Punjab. We always talk about Punjab, India's politics.
  
• We like to see Punjab paradise and we are very upset to see downward after blue star of 1984
  
• Now we are able to change the corrupted system and want to see our brothers and sisters live under democratic system.
  
• Most of the NRIs are very upset from politician's false promises and their wealth. Most of the NRIs argue that how come politicians have had 1 crore property 10 or 15 years ago and now 200, 2000 or 3000 crores
  

For the first time, NRIs are making the presence felt in elections and they are doing it because of India’s rising status, because it has become more respectable and more worthwhile.

NRI Jasbir Singh Khangura, from UK, Congress Party candidate, constituency of Qila Raipur

It is estimated that more than 250 NRIs from Britain, Canada and America who have returned to support the Khangura campaign . Mr Khangura hopes to rid his birthplace of the corruption that has left much of it without a functioning sewerage system, or reliable electricity and water supplies. He is standing as the Congress Party candidate for his native constituency of Qila Raipur, which has a population of 275,000, mainly farmers. Congress has never won in Qila Raipur, which has been held for the past ten years by Jag-dish Garcha, of the Shiromani Akali Dal party.

Mr. Khangura said, "I was three years old when I went to London. Now I am 43 and I think it is the right time to return to the mother land and participate in the development of state and the country,"

NRIs have poured billions dollars of investment into India since its market reforms began to deliver Chinese-style growth. Now they are demanding a greater say in government to protect their investments and to clean up a corrupt and inefficient bureaucracy.....Read More

NRI Surjit Rakhra from USA Camping in Samana

NRI Surjit Singh Rakhra along with his billionaire brother Darshan Singh Dhaliwal is camping door to door in the Samana constituency. Darshan Singh Dhaliwal goes around Patiala and Samana’s streets and asking for votes in his brother’s name.

Surjit said, more than 3,000 NRIs from the USA, Canada, Australia and the UK are camping here and begging votes for me door to door. We want to clean corruption. Our entire campaign is based on two things: the Punjabi brotherhood and the Akali Panthic agenda, whose basic hallmark is personalised meetings.

Darshan Singh Dhaliwal says, democracy is a great leveller, so I am here asking for votes despite my status. For me, it's a great opportunity to feel rooted to my birthplace. I may have become rich, but I am after all the son of this very soil. Here the campaigning is more on false promises. I am just making comparisons, between Surjit and his opponent Brahm.

Brahm Mohindra, who is contesting elections from prestigious Samana assembly constituency said, "Rakhra was acting like a travel agent in this area and not a politician. Referring a news report published in the section of media he criticized the statement of his brother Darshan Sigh Dhaliwal, a NRI, who said in is interview that Politics in India was a dirty game and wanted to take his brother Surjit Singh Rakhra back to USA."

His billionaire brother Darshan Singh Dhaliwal ....Read More

001 FATEHGARH Nirmal Singh Kahlon(SAD)
002 BATALA Jagdish Sahni (BJP)
003 QADIAN Lakhbir Singh Lodhnangal (SAD)
004 SRIHARGOBINDPUR Balbir Singh Bath(SAD)
005 KAHNUWAN Partap Singh Bajwa (Cong)
006 DHARIWAL Sucha Singh Langah(SAD)

007 GURDASPUR Gurbachan Singh Babbehali (SAD)
008 DINA NAGAR (SC) Aruna Chaudhari (Cong)
009 NAROT MEHRA (SC) Bishambar Dass (BJP)

010 PATHANKOT Mohan Lal(BJP)

011 SUJANPUR Dinesh Kumar Babbu (BJP)

012 BEAS Polling due on March 11
013 MAJITHA Bikramjit Singh Majitha

014 VERKA (SC) Dr.Dalbir Singh(SAD)

015 JANDIALA (SC) Kamaljit Singh (SAD)

016 AMRITSAR NORTH Anil Joshi (BJP)
017 AMRITSAR WEST Om Parkash Soni (Cong)
018 AMRITSAR CENTRAL Laxmi Kanta Chawla (BJP)
019 AMRITSAR SOUTH Raminder Singh Bularia(SAD)

020 AJNALA Amarpal Singh Bonny(SAD)

021 RAJA SANSI Sukhwinder Singh Sarkaria (Cong)
022 ATTARI (SC) Gulzar Singh Ranike (SAD)

023 TARN TARAN

24 KHADOOR SAHIB (SC)

Harmeet Singh Sandhu (SAD)

Manjeet Singh Manna(SAD)
025 NAUSHAHRA PANWAN Ranjit Singh Brahmpura (SAD)

026 PATTI Adesh Partap Singh Kairon (SAD)
027 VALTOHA Virsa Singh Valtoha (SAD)
028 ADAMPUR Sarabjit Singh Makkar(BJP)

029 JULLUNDUR CANTT Jagbir Singh Brar (SAD)
030 JULLUNDUR NORTH K.D.Bhandari(BJP)
031 JULLUNDUR CENTRAL Manoranjan Kalia (BJP)
032 JULLUNDUR SOUTH (SC) Chuni Lal BhagaT (BJP)
033 KARTARPUR (SC) Avinash Chander(SAD)

034 LOHIAN Ajit Singh Koha (SAD)

035 NAKODAR Amarjit Singh Samra (Cong)
036 NUR MAHAL Gurdip Singh(SAD)
037 BANGA (SC) Mohan Lal(SAD)

038 NAWAN SHAHR Jatinder Singh Kariha (SAD)
039 PHILLAUR (SC) Sarwan Singh(SAD)

040 BHOLATH Sukhpal Singh Khaira (Cong)
041 KAPURTHALA Sukhjinder Kaur Rana (Cong)

042 SULTANPUR Upinderjit Kaur(SAD)
043 PHAGWARA (SC) Swarna Ram (BJP)
044 BALACHAUR Nand Lal (SAD)
045 GARHSHANKAR Lov Kumar Goldy (BJP)
046 MAHILPUR (SC) Sohan Singh Thandal(SAD)
047 HOSHIARPUR Tikshan Sood (BJP)
048 SHAM CHAURASI (SC) Mohinder Kaue Josh(SAD)

049 TANDA Sangat Singh (Ind)

050 GARHDIWALA (SC) Des Raj Dhugga(SAD)

051 DASUYA Amarjit Singh Sahi (BJP)
052 MUKERIAN Arunesh Kumar (BJP)

053 JAGRAON Gurdip Singh Bhaini(Cong)
054 RAIKOT Harmohinder Singh(Cong)
055 DAKHA (SC) Darshan Singh Shivalik (SAD)
056 QILA RAIPUR Jasbir Singh Khangura (Cong)
057 LUDHIANA NORTH Harish Bedi(BJP)

058 LUDHIANA WEST Harish Rai Dhanda (BJP)
059 LUDHIANA EAST Satpal Gosain(BJP)
060 LUDHIANA RURAL Hira Singh Gabrian (SAD)
061 PAYAL Tej Parkash Singh(Cong)

062 KUM KALAN (SC) Ishar Singh(Cong)

063 SAMRALA Jagjivan Singh (SAD)
064 KHANNA (SC) Bikramjit Singh Khalsa (SAD)
065 NANGAL Rana KP Singh (Cong)
066 ANANDPUR SAHIB-ROPAR Sant Ajit Singh (SAD)
067 CHAMKAUR SAHIB (SC) Charanjit Singh Channi (Ind)

068 MORINDA Ujjagar Singh Badali (SAD)
069 KHARAR Balbir Singh Sidhu(Cong)

070 BANUR Capt Kanwaljit Singh (SAD)

071 RAJPURA Raj Khurana (BJP)
072 GHANAUR Madan lal Thekedar(Ind)

073 DAKALA Lal Singh (Cong)
074 SHUTRANA (SC) Nirmal Singh (Cong)
075 SAMANA Brahm Mohindra(Cong)

076 PATIALA TOWN Amrinder Singh (Cong)
077 NABHA Randip Singh(Cong)
078 AMLOH (SC) Sadu Singh(Cong)

079 SIRHIND Didar Singh Bhatti(SAD)

080 DHURI Iqbal Singh(Ind)
081 MALERKOTLA Razia Sultana(Cong)
082 SHERPUR (SC) Harchand Kaur (Cong)
083 BARNALA Kewal Singh Dhillon (Cong)
084 BHADAUR (SC) Balbir Singh Ghunas (SAD)

085 DHANAULA Kuldeep Singh Bhattal (Cong)
086 SANGRUR Paramjit Singh Sibia(Cong)

087 DIRBHA Surjit Singh Dhiman(Cong)
088 SUNAM Parminder Singh Dhindsa(SAD)
089 LEHRA Rajinder Kaur Bhattal (Cong)
090 BALLUANA (SC) Gurtej Singh SAD
091 ABOHAR Sunil Kumar Jakhar(Cong)

092 FAZILKA Surjit Kumar(BJP)
093 JALALABAD Sher Singh(SAD)

094 GURU HAR SAHAI Rana Gurmit Sodhi (Cong)
095 FIROZEPUR Sukhpal Singh (SAD)

096 FIROZEPUR CANTONMENT Janmeja Singh (SAD
097 ZIRA Naresh Kumar (Cong)
098 DHARAMKOT (SC) Seetal Singh(SAD)

099 MOGA Jatinder Pal Jain(Cong)

100 BAGHA PURANA Darshan Singh Brar(Cong)
101 NIHAL SINGH WALA (SC) Ajit Singh(Ind)

102 PANJGRIAN (SC) Joginder Singh(Cong)

103 KOT KAPURA Ripjit Singh Brar(Cong)

104 FARIDKOT Avtar Singh(Cong)

105 MUKTSAR Kanwarjit Singh

106 GIDDAR BAHA Manpreet Singh Badal (SAD)
107 MALAUT (SC) Harpreeet Singh(SAD)

108 LAMBI Parkash Singh Badal SAD
109 TALWANDI SABO Jeet Mohinder Singh (Cong)

110 PAKKA KALAN (SC) Makhan Singh (Cong)
111 BHATINDA Harminder Singh Jassi (Cong)
112 NATHANA (SC) Ajaib Singh Bhatti(Cong)

113 RAMPURA PHUL Gurpreet Singh Kangar (Cong)
114 JOGA Jagdip Singh (SAD)

115 MANSA Sher Singh (Cong)

116 BUDHLADA Mangat Rai Bansal(Cong)

117 SARDULGARH Ajit Inder Singh Mofar (Cong)