Dera Sacha SaudaIts area of influence is the Malwa region, which covers more than 60 constituencies. Its head, 44-year-old Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, has been probed by the CBI, following allegations of misconduct by Dera Sadhvis. The sect has more than 40 million followers.Likely to vote for Congress, as followers are largely lower caste and Dalits.Radha Soami Satsang Beas.preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}It is headed by the 57-year-old public school-educated Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon. Popular in north India among government officials and corporate executives, its area of influence is the Majha and central Punjab (Doaba) regions.Likely to vote for Dhillon, who is being wooed by both Congress and Akalis.Dera Sachkhand BallanPopular among the SCS, its area of influence is Doaba. Sant Niranjan Dass, 69, who is the Dera head, survived a bid on his life in Vienna in 2009. News of the attack triggered riots in Punjab.Likely to vote for Congress, as the Akali-BJP regime clamped down on Dass's followers who were rioting.Baba Bhaniarawala's DeraThe sect, headed by Baba Piara Singh Bhaniarawala, 53, a former Class IV employee, claims one million lower caste Hindu and Sikh followers in Ropar and Gurdaspur. The baba offended Sikhs by writing his own version of a religious scripture.Likely to vote for Congress, given the sect's differences with mainstream Sikhs.- by Asit JollyHarsimrat KaurSilver SpoonNo Child's PlayHarsimrat Kaur sure knows how to catch 'em young. The MP from Bathinda and wife of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is in trouble with the Election Commission (EC). On December 7, she asked children at a government school in Datewas village in Mansa district to ask their parents to vote for the Shiromani Akali Dal. EC officials will look up YouTube, where a video clip of the incident has been uploaded, for 'evidence'.WILD CARDKajal NishadKajal Nishad, 29, Chameli of TV soap Lapataganj, is contesting Gorakhpur (rural) seat from Congress. "The way people listen to me, I think they love me," she says.OopsHours before the poll dates were announced and the model code of conduct came into force, SAD announced a last-minute sop. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal withdrew octroi levied on diesel and petrol. This reduced diesel price by 70 paise and petrol by 80 paise. But here's the slip. The withdrawal was announced not through a proper notification but merely through an office memo. This raised questions about the validity of the decision. The EC has put the decision on hold.We will go for the jugular of SAD in Lambi, the constituency of P.S. Badal, and Jalalabad, the constituency of Sukhbir-Amarinder Singh.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Dec 31, 2011--- ENDS ---
