Kuldeep Dhaliwal to contest from Ajnala

By Bharat Sharma

After being renominated by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from Ajnala for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections, sitting MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal visited Sri Harmandir Sahib on Saturday and offered prayers for victory.

Speaking to the media at the Golden Temple complex, Dhaliwal thanked AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Manish Sisodia, Harpal Singh Cheema, Aman Arora and the party’s senior leadership for reposing faith in him.

He said he had always begun important political assignments by seeking blessings at the Guru’s abode and had visited the shrine to express gratitude after receiving the ticket. He expressed confidence that he would retain the Ajnala seat with a decisive victory, similar to the 2022 Assembly elections.

Claiming that AAP’s main competition was with its own previous electoral performance rather than other political parties, Dhaliwal said the party had won 92 seats in the 2022 Assembly elections and was now targeting more than 100 seats.

Taking aim at opposition parties, he claimed that the Shiromani Akali Dal had nearly lost its political relevance in Punjab, while the BJP had failed to establish a significant presence in the state. He also alleged that the Congress was facing factionalism and a shortage of committed workers despite having several leaders aspiring for the chief minister’s post.

Dhaliwal expressed confidence of winning Ajnala by more than 25,000 votes this time, compared with his victory margin of around 7,800 votes in 2022. He attributed his confidence to public support and development work carried out during the AAP government’s tenure.

He said the government would prioritise pending development projects in Ajnala if voted back to power.

Outlining the party’s agenda, Dhaliwal said the focus would remain on building ‘Rangla Punjab’, eliminating drugs and unemployment, conserving groundwater and accelerating development.

He also highlighted the government’s initiatives to promote canal water usage and address the declining groundwater level, claiming that their impact was becoming visible on the ground.

Dhaliwal said the people of Punjab would vote on the basis of development and expressed confidence that AAP would return to power with a strong majority.