PATIALA: Call it confidence or pressures of leading the campaign in the State, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has addressed just a couple of rallies/meetings in his home constituency leaving the bulk of the canvassing to his wife and Patiala MP, Perneet Kaur.

Though there are some 14 candidates in the fray, Captain Amarinder Singh, called `Maharaj,' faces a direct challenge from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate and former Minister, Surjit Singh Kohli, who is hopeful of wresting the seat from Captain Singh this time.

"How do you explain to the people who have not seen either their MLA [Capt. Amarinder Singh] or the MP,'' Mr. Kohli alleges. The Akalis cite the rally of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Patiala to drive home the point that the Chief Minister has become vulnerable on his home turf. "He needed the Prime Minister to come and campaign for him. That should explain his position,'' Hardev Singh, an Akali worker, chips in.

And to bolster Mr. Kohli's aggressive campaign, the Akali-BJP combine has decided to rope in senior BJP leaders. With Sushma Swaraj already having campaigned for him, Mr. Kohli awaits Navjot Singh Sidhu, Hema Malini and L.K. Advani who have rallies lined up here.

`No Akali wave'

While the lack of accessibility of the Chief Minister may be a grouse, Congress supporters dispute the statement as charges of a party in the Opposition and by those who were finding it difficult to digest the developmental activities undertaken by Captain Singh. The Congress leaders associated with the campaign, both in Punjab in general and Patiala in particular, maintain that the battle this time is "down to the wire.'' They assert there is no wave in favour of the Akalis but concede the party has a tough electoral battle at hand.

As some Congress workers asserted for the first time in many years, the SAD has been forced to take on the party campaign on positive issues such as development and the policies of the Amarinder Singh Government that favour the farmers, the poor and backward sections of society. Of course, the Opposition is using the issue of high prices of essential commodities as a stick to beat the ruling party and has promised foodgrains at Rs. 4 per kg and pulses at Rs. 20 per kg.

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