He is already an established name as a Punjabi singer with his chart-bursting numbers. Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu aka Sidhu Moosewala, the Congress candidate from Mansa seat, now hopes to make his presence felt in the constituency. Touted as a “youth icon” and an "international figure" by Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu when he joined the party in December, the 27-year-old singer is seen easily connecting with people of all ages, obliging especially the youth for selfies and taking blessing of elders during his campaign rounds.
“I came to this field (politics) as I want to do something good for the people of this constituency,” he told PTI. “The main issues in my area are related to education and health and I want these issues to be resolved,” says Moosewala. Moosewala hails from Moosa village in Mansa district and his mother is a village head and father an ex-serviceman.
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Moosewala's popularity among the youth can be gauged from the fact that he has 6.9 million followers on Instagram and nearly one crore subscribers on his YouTube channel. During the poll campaigning, Moosewala tells people he is not hankering after any post or position but wants to work for the all-round development of the area.
Seeking to strike a chord with the masses, Moosewala recently interacted with a cobbler in Mansa market and engaged in a discussion with him about hard work and its rewards. He also got his shoes polished from the cobbler and paid him.
Moosewala makes several promises including setting up of a university or college, a hospital for cancer patients, improving existing health facilities and addressing the issues of garbage and overflowing sewerage in Mansa. The singer had earlier been booked for allegedly promoting violence and gun culture through his song ''Sanju''. He had also been booked under the Arms Act and the Disaster Management Act in Barnala after his photographs of firing an AK-47 rifle at a firing range during the Covid lockdown went viral on social media.
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Mansa is a semi-rural constituency and here people grow vegetables and cotton. The Aam Aadmi Party has fielded Vijay Singla while the Shiromani Akali Dal has nominated Prem Kumar Arora from Mansa seat. Singla says the people are fed up with the traditional political parties, saying the AAP will form the next government in Punjab. In 2017, AAP candidate Nazar Singh Manshahia won from Mansa seat. Manshahia later joined the Congress and was seeking the ticket for contesting from here but he was denied the same as the ruling party fielded Moosewala.
With PTI Inputs
