British Elections: Faceoff Between Two Cities of Punjab in South London - Jalandhar and Ludhiana
It's a fight between two cities of Punjab - Ludhiana and Jalandhar - in the Southall Constituency of South London when polling starts in the British Elections on 7 May, according to reports on telephone and mails from London today.
Jassi Khangura, a Congress MLA for Rai Pur, Ludhiana, arrived in Southall to support his nephew, the Tory Candidate Gurcharan Singh for Ealing Southall. The incumbent Labour candidate, Virender Sharma, hails from Jalandhar and his father, Dr. Lekh Raj Sharma, has been closely connected with Congress in Punjab since Darbara Singh days, served as the Secretary of District Congress Party and appointed a MLC for his services.
An eloquent speaker who was educated in Britain, Khangura, failed to get elected as a Labour Councillor and a Labour MP. So he moved to Punjab where he has considerable influence as he is a close relative of the late Pratap Singh Kairon and got elected as a MLA. Jassi Khangura's father, a former Labour Councillor in London Borough of Hounslow, is currently the General Secretary of Punjab Congress Party.
The Khangura family owns a number of hotels in London and the only five star hotel in Ludhiana. Jassi Khangura sent emails to a number of voters here saying that he is coming not as an MLA but in a private capacity to help his Mamaji Gurcharan Singh in his election campaign, confirmed Councillor Jagdish Sharma, MBE, the Labour Leader of of Opposition in London Borough of Hounslow. When Khangura arrived to support his nephew, the leading Punjabi Weekly DES PARDES headlined last Thursday: 'Mame di support waaste bhanja aaaya' (Nephew comes to support his maternal uncle).
Gurcharan failed to become a Labour candidate before the previous elections, so he crossed over to the Conservative Party but lost against Virendra Sharma who won with a majority of 5070 votes in a bye-election in July 2007 after the sudden death of the serving MP Piara Singh Khabra.
The two candidates and their supporters have been visiting Sikh temples; meeting businessmen in Broadway, the high street of Southall; and going door-to-door to garner support. Both Virender and Gurcharan have served as councillors in London Borough of Ealing from two Southall wards and they both have also served as Mayors as Labour Councillors in the past. Gurcharan is again contesting as a Councillor on 6th May as a Tory candidate. Virender has decided not to stand as a Councillor this time so that he could devote more time as an MP.
Virender is a secular person while Gurcharan is projecting himself as 'the only Sikh candidate with turban', though there is a Sikh MP Parminder Singh Dhanda representing Gloucester, mainly a white area. He was the youngest MP - in his late 20s ' when first elected. Another clean shaven Sikh MP is Marsha Singh. Gurcharan is originally from Malva and Virender from Doaba in Punjab. Thus this fight is also dubbed as a fight between a Doabi and a Malvi.
Some voters feel that Gurcharan is trying to create Hindu-Sikh divisions within the community. Virender is well respected by local Sikh temples as he had a couple of meetings at the main Siri Guru Singh Sabha where he accompanied the Foreign Minister David Miliband, and Ravidas Gurudwara in Southall to boost his Sikh support. Virender is tipped to win though perhaps with reduced majority.
About the Author:
Editor, Author, Special Correspondent, Publisher, Media Consultant, Kul Bhushan has worked for major newspapers, news agencies, a UN agency in various key positions and travelled to over 50 countries. Currently, Executive Editor of Newstech Publishing Inc www.newstechglobal.com. He specialises in writing on NRI (Non Resident Indians) affairs. He has authored 26 books and a disciple of the enlightened master, Osho. www.kulbhushan.net.