Congress candidate Preneet Kaur meets with transgenders during an election campaign in Patiala
Preneet Kaur, the minister of state for external affairs, is banking on her family name, besides her husband Amarinder Singh's clout in the region, to win a fourth term in the Lok Sabha.
Mr Singh, a member of the Patiala royalty, is a former chief minister of Punjab. He represents Patiala in the state assembly. His sway over the area could be evident from the fact that Congress won five of the eight assembly segments falling under the Patiala Lok Sabha constituency in the assembly elections held in 2012, even though it failed to oust the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance government from power in Punjab. (
Full Coverage: India Votes 2014)
Mrs Kaur, 69, feels that the anti-incumbency disadvantage suffered by the state government will come to her rescue. "This time there is huge anti-incumbency against the state government. The Centre has sent huge funds to the state, but no work has been done by this government,'' she tells NDTV.
Facing off with her on the SAD ticket is one-time aide Deepinder Singh Dhillon, who switched allegiance recently. He is counting on the SAD-BJP government's track-record in the last seven years to sail through. (
253 candidates in fray for Punjab Lok Sabha polls)
"The government has done so much development work over the last seven years. In the history of Punjab, no government has ever been re-elected. That is proof enough,'' Mr Dhillon argues.
The entry into the fray of a renowned cardiologist on the Aam Aadmi Party ticket has rendered the contest interesting. Dr Dharamveer Gandhi, 64, has taken a break from his flourishing practice to join the heat and dust of the campaign trail.
"Both the Congress and the BJP have become dynastic parties in the state. They have hardly done anything for all these years. People are now fed up and need change,'' contends Dr Gandhi.
Death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana's sister Kamaldeep Kaur has also joined the race, even though she is dismissed as a lightweight. Rajoana was convicted for his role in the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.