Anirudh Gupta
The Ferozepur Rural segment was carved out following the delimitation in 2012 which included a major chunk of villages which were hitherto part of Ferozepur City and Cantonment areas.
Past trend
The segment came into being in 2012 and has been represented by the SAD and Congress alternatively. In 2012, SAD candidate Joginder Singh Jindu scraped past Congress’ Satkar Kaur Gehri by 107 votes. In 2012, Satkar defeated Jindu by 21,416 votes.
Electorate strength
Total voters 1,91,083
Male 1,00,357
Female 90,721
Third gender 5
Locals’ key demands
- Renovation of memorials
- End to illegal sand mining
- Arrest of drug peddlers
- Construction of PGI satellite centre
Predominantly a rural segment, the Shiromani Akali Dal first grabbed this seat during a nail-biting contest in the 2012 Assembly elections when party candidate Joginder Singh Jindu defeated the Congress candidate Satkar Kaur Gehri by a wafer-thin margin of just 107 votes. Picked up by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi as a youth leader, Satkar Kaur bounced back and defeated Jindu in the 2017 Assembly elections.
The segment, which comprises small townships like Mamdot, Mudki, Ferozeshah and Talwandi Bhai, has not seen much in terms of infrastructural development despite tall claims by parties.
The youth of the area seem to be disillusioned in the absence of desired avenues for employment. Besides, illegal sand mining and drug abuse have been the major concerns for the local populace. The residents are seemingly not much amused with the functioning of local Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) who has been mostly represented by her husband Jasmel Singh Laddi Gehri at most of the forums.
There are speculations regarding the party exploring more options for this segment and the sitting legislator being moved to another constituency. Caste factors also play an important role in the outcome of the elections here.
No job avenues, youth disillusioned
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