Caste card fails to break Cong jinx in Ferozepur

Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, May 28

Inflated egos and one-upmanship once again prevented the Congress from breaking the "jinx" of losing the Ferozepur Lok Sabha seat, even though it had played the "Rai Sikh card" this time to turn tables on the SAD, which won from here for the sixth consecutive time.

Though the Congress did reasonably well in all other parts of the state, it lost in all Assembly seats in the segment which is a matter of concern for the party. Turncoat Congress candidate Sher Singh Ghubaya, who had won the seat in the last two elections, failed keep his flock together as the SAD was able to penetrate into the Rai Sikh citadel, a community which has been voting en block in favour of its candidates.

Ghubaya lost with a heavy margin in the border belt where his own community rules the roost. While talking to The Tribune, Ghubaya said there were certain villages where more than 90 per cent of people were his diehard supporters. However, he lost even in this belt which included his own village because the EVMs were doctored, he alleged, adding that he would take the matter to the court.

Ghubaya also alleged lack of support from Congress leaders. Not only caste equations failed to do the trick for the Congress, the "exodus" of many of its leaders during the last few years, including Jagmeet Singh Brar, Ravinder Singh Sandhu, Narinder Singh Sandha, etc, also dented the prospects of the party.

The absence of state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, who himself was contesting from Gurdaspur, also cost the party as it lost by huge margins in Balluanala, Fazilka, Abohar and Malout segments. In fact, Ghubaya lost by 29,011 votes in Fazilka which is represented by his own son Davinder Ghubaya.

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