Fed up with frequent and prolonged power cuts, residents of Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar have thrown an open challenge to all contesting candidates in the Ludhiana West bypoll – spend just one day in the area with their families, and win all their votes.
The challenge, directed at AAP’s Sanjeev Arora, Congress’ Bharat Bhushan Ashu, BJP’s Jiwan Gupta, and SAD’s Parupkar Singh Ghuman, reflects the growing frustration among locals, who claim they are suffering power outages of 8–10 hours daily during scorching heat.
“Try living like us before asking for votes,” said Sandeep Dua, a local resident. “Inverters barely last two hours. None of the candidates are talking about real issues — it’s all just blame games.”
Residents lamented that even basic necessities like electricity and water remain a dream. Avneet, another local, said, “We are not asking for luxury — just our basic rights. Even after 70 years of Independence, we are fighting for water and power.”
Many families have been forced to sleep in cars with the AC on or shift temporarily to relatives’ homes in other parts of the city. The area is also struggling with a stray dog menace, making it unsafe for children to go outside.
“We keep hearing ‘problems will be solved after elections’ — but we know they won’t,” said Sandeep.
With polling set for June 19, the residents’ challenge has spotlighted the growing disconnect between political campaigns and ground realities.
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