Tohra's name to help Kuldeep consolidate standing in Sanour

Sanour: Banking on the legacy of her father Gurcharan Singh Tohra, the longest serving chief of SGPC, Kuldeep Kaur Tohra has entered the fray as an AAP candidate from this Assembly segment with a promise of improving the lot of women.

63-year-old Kaur said she was a getting a "good response" from the public.

"People loved Tohra Sahib. He served the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee (the apex religious body of the Sikhs) for over 25 years. His name still commands great respect. So, naturally, the expectations from me as well as from my party are very high," she told PTI.

18 candidates are in the fray from this seat which falls in Patiala district. It is a three-way contest with Congress fielding Harinderpal Singh Mann (59) while Harinderpal Singh Chandumajra, son of veteran Akali leader and MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, entering the contest as a SAD candidate.

Kaur says people have high expectations from her.

"People are fed up with both SAD and the Congress. They have tried and tested them repeatedly in the past and both have failed to take Punjab forward. People have great hopes from AAP and we are committed to give them a clean and honest government," she said.

Kaur said even decades after the country's Independence, this constituency still lacks basic amenities.

"The roads here are in a bad shape. There is no good hospital or educational institution here.

 Apart from this, there are other issues, which are common for Punjab, like the drug issue and the issue of sacrilege, which deeply hurt the people," said Kaur, wife of former SAD Minister Harmail Singh Tohra.

She alleged that the farming was in ruins and people were in distress.

Kaur said she wants to work for the uplift of women and work for better educational facilities for the girls.

Akali stalwart Gurcharan Singh Tohra passed away in 2004.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ticket from Patiala (Rural).

"The SAD did not value our services. AAP has brought in a new hope for the people of Punjab," said Kaur, who joined the AAP last year.

The Congress candidate, who is popularly known as Harry Mann, had recently parted ways with the SAD.

In the outgoing Assembly, Sanour was represented by senior Congress leader Lal Singh.

The Punjab Congress' "one family, one ticket" rule forced Lal Singh, six-time MLA, to opt out of the race in favour of his son Rajinder Singh, who has entered the fray from neighbouring constituency of Samana.