Sukhmeet Bhasin
The Mansa Assembly segment remains backward in terms of educational facilities. Before the 2012 elections, the foundation stone of Gian Sagar Institute and the Punjab Technical University’s Punjab Institute of Technology was laid, but the institutes were never established. The land acquired for the two institutes became a bone of contention between a local dera and the Khalsa Society.
A girls’ college did come up in Mansa town in 2012, but it was not sufficient to cater to the needs of the youth. Nehru Memorial Government College, Mansa, doesn’t have a regular faculty. It is solely dependent on guest faculty.
Farm distress and drugs have been the bane of this segment for long. Besides, sewerage overflow, waterlogging during monsoon, menace of stray animals and no bus service in villages are other problems the electorate faces.
Healthcare facilities are no better. During the second wave of Covid, hospitals in Mansa were ill-equipped to treat critical patients. No government or private hospital had an ICU bed with a ventilator. As a result, patients went to Bathinda or Faridkot for better treatment.
Past trend
The Akalis have won the seat twice (1997 and 2012). Sher Singh, who contested as an Independent, won in 2002. In the next elections (2007), he again won the seat, but this time on the Congress ticket. In the 2017, AAP won by a record margin.
Electorate strength
Total voters 2,17,619
Male 1,15,219
Female 1,02,398
Third gender 2
Education takes back seat here
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