Gurmeet Singh Khudian is an Indian politician who is known for defeating SAD patron and five-time Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal from his stronghold Lambi constituency in the 2022 Punjab assembly elections.
Wiki/Biography
Gurmeet Singh Khudian was born on Sunday, 30 September 1962 (age 46 years; as of 2021) in Vill. & P.O. Khudian, Gulab Singh, Tehsil-Muktsar, Punjab. He did his schooling at Govt. High School, Khudian Gulab Singh, PSEB. He attended DAV College, Malout for higher studies. His affidavit filed with the Election Commission of India says that he earns from agriculture.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 7″
Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Eye Colour: Black
Gurmeet Singh campaigning
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father, Jathedar Jagdev Singh Khuddian, was an elected Member of Parliament from Faridkot Constituency in 1989.
Gurmeet’s father
He has a brother, Harmeet Singh.
Wife & Children
His wife’s name is Bhupinder Kaur. She is a homemaker. His son’s name is Amit Singh.
Signature
Career
His father was associated with the Congress party for a long time which is why he also worked closely with the Congress party for a long duration. He joined the Indian National Congress officially in 2004. His continuous work and efforts made him the President of the District Congress Committee, Muktsar, a post that he held for five years. In 2017, he planned to contest the Punjab assembly elections from the Lambi constituency; however, Captain Amarinder Singh decided to contest at the last minute. He was given the opportunity to fill the nominations for the covering candidate. He became a strong contender for the Chairman’s post during the Congress Government in Punjab.
Khudian standing next to Captain Amrinder Singh
Later, he was replaced by Harcharan Singh ‘Sotha’ Brar as the president of the District Congress Committee. According to a media report, he believed that Captain Amarinder had contested the elections to make Badal win the elections. He also said that Amarinder did not follow sacrilege cases properly only to save the Badals. Even after working for more than 2 decades in the Lambi constituency, he was denied a ticket from the party. He, along with some of his loyal coworkers, on 26 July 2021, announced that they were leaving the Congress party for they have been ignored for long by the party. On the same day, he joined the Aam Aadmi Party.
Arvind Kejriwal welcoming Gurmeet Singh in AAP
Later, in an interview, he said,
We were feeling ignored for long, thus took the step. Even Capt Amarinder Singh after contesting the Assembly election from Lambi in 2017 did not visit the place even once. Nobody heard our issues.”
He was declared a candidate from assembly constituency No.83, Lambi, which is categorised as a rural seat in AAP’s second list in November. He won the seat in his maiden attempt at elections with a total of 66,313 votes. He defeated the SAD patron and five-time former CM Parkash Singh Badal by a huge margin of 11,396 votes as Badal stood second with a total of 54,917 votes. The key players from the Lambi constituency were, Jagpal Singh Abulkhurana (Congress), Gurmeet Singh Khudian (Aam Aadmi Party), Parkash Singh Badal (Shiromani Akali Dal – Bahujan Samaj Party alliance), and Rakesh Dhingra (BJP’s alliance with former CM Captain Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress party).
After his successful win with a huge margin, he said,
It is people’s victory. Youth has brought a new Inquilab. From the first day onwards, people walked along with me and supported me,”
He added,
They have been playing fixed matches all these years and elections happened for the first time. Kejriwalji gave me ticket from Lambi as he knew that I could take the Badals head on.”
While celebrating his glorious victory with his family and friends in Dana Mandi, he was asked about his opponents in an interview to which he replied,
I don’t even want to remember Amarinder Singh, who believed in playing a fixed match and now lost by 13,000 votes. Let’s talk about today and now. This victory is of the people of Lambi, who thought of badlaav and dared to make senior Badal lose. Badalji had a good fortune, he remained CM of Punjab for five times. I am a sewak of janta and I believe in clean politics. I believe that now Akal purakh blessed me too.”
Salary
According to the affidavit filed by him to the Election Commission, his salary is Nil.
Assets/Properties
His total declared assets are Rs 2.6 crore which includes Rs 28 lakh in moveable assets and Rs 2.3 crore as immovable assets. According to the affidavit filed by him to the EC, his cash balance shows Rs. 50,000. His cash at bank shows a balance of approx. Rs. 4 lakhs. His jewellery is estimated worth Rs. 1,35,000. He owns an agricultural land with a total area of 8 Acre and 5 Marla worth Rs. 1.20 crores approx and a residential building of 10800 sq. ft. total area which is worth Rs. 50 lakhs. His affidavit shows Rs. 20 lakh liability which is a bank loan.
Facts/Trivia
- Before the voting took place in Lambi, AAP’s CM candidate, Bhagwant Singh Mann, visited the constituency and campaigned with Gurmeet Singh. He said that Badal was greedy for power and that during his 10-year-long regime in Punjab, Khudian’s family and the people of Lambi had to face atrocities and corruption. He added that despite that, the Khudian family always stood by the people of Punjab, and this time the people of Lambi will teach the Badal family a lesson.
Bhagwant Mann campaigning with and for Gurmeet Singh
- Gurmeet’s father, Jathedar Jagdev Singh Khuddian went missing from his house a day after he took the oath as MP. Around 6 days later, his body was fished out of the nearby Rajasthan Feeder Canal. The police cited it a suicide case; however, the injuries found on Khudian’s intestines were antemortem and capable of causing death, and it was disclosed that he was not suffering from depression. The judge of the case ruled out suicide and stated,
I am of the view that he was killed”
- He owns a Mahindra Verito car.
