General Joginder Jaswant Singh has been pitted against Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh in Patiala.
Pitted against Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh, former Army chief and Akali Dal candidate from Patiala General Joginder Jaswant Singh on Wednesday announced to highlight the "absence" of former Punjab Chief Minister from his bastion, saying he will connect with voters through door to door campaign. "We will announce a campaign 'Gumshuda Ki Talash' (search for missing Amarinder) in Patiala to highlight that he has been missing from Patiala for long," Singh said on Wednesday.
"I am shocked to know when people here told me that nobody saw him in Patiala for long. He has not met any person living in streets and mohallas here and how he kept winning all these years," wondered Singh who has jumped into political battle by joining SAD.
Singh said that he was yet to see him (Amarinder) in Patiala (Urban) assembly constituency ever since he was announced as Shiromani Akali Dal candidate from Patiala. "I have just seen his (Amarinder's) wife and former Union minister Preneet Kaur who is canvassing for him," he said.
The former army chief, who also had a stint as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, said he will focus on holding door-to-door campaign rather than holding rallies. "I will meet people through door-to-door campaigning. I will also hold a cycle rally and go around every nook and corner of the city to mingle with people," said Singh who has claimed to have spent his childhood days in Patiala. Referring to door-to-door campaigning, Singh said, "I will do what he (Amarinder) cannot do."
"They have gotten away so far because they did not have worthwhile candidate against them so that is why they were not worried. Now this time he cannot get away," asserted Singh.
He exuded confidence that he would pull off a "historic" win against Amarinder Singh, who is also an ex-army man. To a query, Singh claimed to have support of local Akalis for his candidature.
Earlier, both former soldiers had engaged into war of words. Amarinder had claimed that it would be for the first time that a captain would be defeating a general. To this, former army chief had reportedly said it was a battle between a scion of royalty and a soldier's grandson. Singh, who was commissioned into 9 Maratha Light Infantry, was the first Sikh officer to become the army chief.
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