Punjab: Will in-charge be SAD's official candidate?

AMRITSAR: With the Lok Sabha elections drawing closer, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has taken the step of appointing in-charge for the Lok Sabha constituencies including all the three constituencies in the Majha region of Punjab.
The party's decision on whether to grant the in-charge the party ticket for the elections or to select other candidates for independent contestation remains to be seen which will play a crucial role in shaping the party's strategy for the upcoming elections.
The Majha region in Punjab comprises three Lok Sabha constituencies namely Amritsar, Gurdaspur, and Khadur Sahib.
Presently, Gurjit Singh Aujla and Jasbir Singh Gill, both from the Congress party, represent Amritsar and Khadur Sahib constituencies, respectively. On the other hand, the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha constituency is represented by Sunny Deol, a Bollywood actor who contested and won as a BJP candidate.
The political dynamics in these constituencies will undoubtedly be of interest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
SAD has appointed three former ministers for key roles. Anil Joshi, who had previously been associated with the BJP, has been appointed as in-charge of the Amritsar assembly constituency. Guljar Singh Ranikae, a veteran Akali , has been entrusted with the responsibilities for the Gurdaspur constituency and Bikram Singh Majithia, a close relative of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, has been appointed as the in-charge for the Khadur Sahib assembly constituency.
SAD has not yet officially revealed their candidates for the upcoming elections. However, as per the analysis of political pundit Som Dev Sharma “ it is a common strategy for SAD to initially declare in-charges for constituencies and allows them to establish a presence and begin groundwork in those specific constituencies before formally announcing their official candidates”.
Notably, in alliance with BJP, the SAD and BJP used to contest on 10 and 3 seats respectively.
The Khadur Sahib seat continues to be regarded as a "panthic seat," which implies its historical and religious significance in Sikh politics. SAD has appointed Bikram Singh Majithia as its in-charge for this constituency hoping to leverage his political and personal connections within the Sikh community. However, as pointed out by the political analyst, the definition and significance of a "panthic seat" had evolved over the years.The seat is currently represented by a Congress candidate. Besides, the Akali’s faces the challenge of reestablishing its presence and regaining the trust and support of the general population, particularly among Sikh communities.
According to sources, SAD might have considered a strategic move by appointing Anil Joshi, a Hindu leader, as in-charge of the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat. However, there were concerns that Joshi's influence may be limited to specific areas within the constituency and not extend across all nine assembly constituencies that fall under the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency. Furthermore, his absence from active political engagement for an extended period could pose challenges.
Sharma pointed out that the appointment of Gulzar Singh Ranike as the in-charge of the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha constituency was significant.
Gurdaspur is known to be a Hindu-dominated region, and historically, the BJP has won the seat multiple times. Sharma opined that the BJP would like to retain the seat and could spring surprise with the announcement of the candidate. eom