A campaign poster for AAP candidate Advocate HS Phoolka.
Considered the industrial hub of Punjab, Ludhiana is facing tough times. In this largely urban constituency of 15 lakh voters, where six of the nine assembly seats are urban, voters are weighing the promises of development on the parameters of issues like industry, infrastructure, power and employment.
Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Manpreet Singh Ayali got a Modi shot in the arm on Saturday with the BJP's PM candidate holding a massive rally in the city. Mr Ayali, a national level basketball player and an MLA, is banking on the Modi-Badal factor for his crucial match. "We will form the next government in the Centre. If we hadn't worked for people, we wouldn't have been re-elected in the state", he says.
Manpreet Singh Ayali's rival, Congress candidate Ravneet Singh Bittu is the sitting MP of Anandpur Sahib. Though the Ludhiana seat was won by Union Minister Manish Tewari in 2009, he's not contesting this time around. Bittu, whose name was announced late into the contest, is seeking votes in the name of his grandfather former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. He says, "If I've worked so well in five years in Anandpur sahib which wasn't my home, just think about how much more I can achieve from a place that is associated with my grandfather and is my home district. It's like homecoming for me."
In terms of campaigning no one else has got a head start like the AAP. Known for his fight for the victims of the 1984 riots Advocate HS Phoolka's name was among the first few in the list the party put out. As he steps out to campaign, he tells us, "All across Ludhiana posters have been plastered. There was pressure on me too, but I said let's not do it. Let people keep them on the walls and keep us in their hearts."
Simarjit Singh Bains, is standing as an Independent, making the fight for Ludhiana a four-way contest. He, along with his brother, won the 2012 assembly elections as Independent MLAs and is now using his network to seek votes for the Lok Sabha election. Given his personal goodwill in his constituency, some feel he could impact the votes of the SAD-BJP combine, of which he has been a part in the past.