Key Points
The late Arun Jaitley, arguably, the BJPs most gifted parliamentarian, legal mind and political strategist in Narendra Modis first term as Prime Minister failed to pass muster in Amritsar even in the wave election that swept his party to power..
What tilted the scales in the Congresss favour was Amarinder Singhs royal charisma and the word attributed to the Sikh clergy: Sikhan da maharaja Harmandar di nagri to harna nahi chahida (the Sikh Maharaja shouldnt be defeated in the city of Harmandar Sahab (Golden Temple))..
The superannuated (Foreign Service) officer with a stellar record is also the grandson of Teja Singh Samundri, an iconic figure of the gurdwara reform movement of the 1920s that forced the British to hand over control of major Sikh shrines to the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committe (SGPC)..
As a local industrialist Sanjeev Kandhari explained: Family ties apart, Sandhu is an honest, learned man for whom Im inclined to vote to ensure a better future for Amritsar and a stable (BJP) regime at the Centre..
Even in Amritsars five urban seats, he faces strong competition from a former BJP MLA and state minister, Anil Joshi who is in the fray on the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ticket..
