📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Simranpreet Singh Gill
Politics
Factional battles intensify as parties vie for Hindu candidate in Bathinda urban seat
✍️ Amar Ujala · Punjab
🗓 03 Sep 2026, 12:17 PM
👁 26
Political parties in Punjab’s Bathinda district are locked in intense factional jockeying over the urban assembly seat, with a Hindu candidate emerging as the focal point.
The Bathinda urban constituency, a key segment of the Malwa region, has become a flash‑point for Punjab’s major political parties ahead of the upcoming state elections. All major outfits are scrambling to secure a candidate who can appeal to the Hindu electorate, a factor they deem crucial for winning the seat.
Sources close to the party leaderships say that internal factions are jostling for influence, each pushing its preferred face while trying to prevent rival groups from gaining the nomination. The search for a “Hindu face” has amplified existing rivalries, turning intra‑party negotiations into a high‑stakes contest.
The stakes extend beyond the single urban seat; the district houses six assembly constituencies, and the same pattern of factionalism is emerging across them. Analysts warn that prolonged infighting could dilute the parties’ overall electoral strength in Bathinda, potentially reshaping the political landscape of the Malwa belt.
Political observers note that the outcome of these internal battles will likely set the tone for candidate selection in other Hindu‑dominant pockets of Punjab, making the Bathinda urban seat a bellwether for broader party strategies.
Sources close to the party leaderships say that internal factions are jostling for influence, each pushing its preferred face while trying to prevent rival groups from gaining the nomination. The search for a “Hindu face” has amplified existing rivalries, turning intra‑party negotiations into a high‑stakes contest.
The stakes extend beyond the single urban seat; the district houses six assembly constituencies, and the same pattern of factionalism is emerging across them. Analysts warn that prolonged infighting could dilute the parties’ overall electoral strength in Bathinda, potentially reshaping the political landscape of the Malwa belt.
Political observers note that the outcome of these internal battles will likely set the tone for candidate selection in other Hindu‑dominant pockets of Punjab, making the Bathinda urban seat a bellwether for broader party strategies.