Akali Dal leader and former Punjab finance minister Kanwaljit Singh is not only contesting from his Banur assembly seat, 25 km from Chandigarh, but also fighting a proxy election in the adjoining Kharar assembly seat - which shares its boundary with Chandigarh - for his son Jasjit Singh.

Having put his ad-man son - Jasjit is a US-qualified advertising professional who recently quit his job in Delhi to get full-time into politics - in the fray, Kanwaljit Singh wants his sibling to do well. So the Akali leader is not only busy campaigning for himself in his own Banur seat but can be seen canvassing for his son in Kharar as well.

Jasjit is pitted against Congress candidate and liquor distributor Balbir Singh Sidhu from Kharar. The allotment of the Congress ticket to Sidhu has upset other ticket seekers from the party who have openly declared their displeasure. If the dissidence continues, Jasjit will definitely have a head start in the hustings.